FEMA Shuts Down Louisiana Trailer Park

wral.com ^ | 03/04/07 | AP

[Ellesu]

FEMA abruptly closed down a site housing Hurricane Katrina victims Sunday because of health and safety concerns, and its weary residents said they were being left in the lurch once again since losing everything in the storm. A 48-hour deadline to leave fell on Sunday night, and FEMA scrambled to find new places for the 58 households. Although many residents said they would have been happy to keep on living there, the Federal Emergency Management Agency determined it was too risky because of ongoing problems with raw sewage and periodic power outages. "They know how to put me out, but they don't know how to help me out. That's how I look at it," Allsee Tobias said about FEMA. He lost his home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans to post-Katrina flooding. "Pack and pray. That's what they told us." About 20 of his family members, including 10 children, lived in four trailers, and they were anxious about FEMA splitting them up.

[Slump Tester]

How long has it been since Katrina?

Who's gonna feed them next year, and the year after that?

[AnAmericanMother]

I'm sorry folks, but at SOME point you have to exercise a little initiative and get yourself back on your feet. If you had found jobs and saved all that rent money you were getting for free, you could have started your own business by now.

[EndWelfareToday]

Who's gonna feed them next year, and the year after that?

I can't believe you're even asking this question. Are you just funnin us?

[Shimmer128]

It's obvious that he's being facetious.

It's been almost 18 months!

[WorkingClassFilth]

[M]any residents said they would have been happy to keep on living there..."They know how to put me out, but they don't know how to help me out. That's how I look at it," Allsee Tobias said.

These wretched people. Enough is enough.

[CheyennePress]

Living in a trailer park provided by the government with 10 kids, no doubt all being fed by same government. Complaining that he's not being helped.

There is the very definition of a useless citizen.

[Reagan is King]

"They know how to put me out, but they don't know how to help me out. That's how I look at it," Allsee Tobias said about FEMA.

Some of them think they've become wards of the state for life. I thought they were screaming for people to work down in New Orleans to rebuild? How about some of your 20 family members going back and getting a *gasp* job?

I've had the displeasure of seeing how some of these fine citizens treat the taxpayer purchased mobile homes they're housed in. I've seen them reduce a $28,000 trailer to a $5,000 piece of junk in less than a year. It really makes me look forward to paying my taxes on April 15th.

[macmedic892]

From the Louisiana Road Home website:

This mark surpasses a milestone that was set for the program. Projections called for a cumulative goal of 2,690 closings by the end of February, which included 300 closings held in January and 2,300 in February. Actual closings totaled 450 by the end of January and 2,268 in February.

That's right, sports fans, it's been 18 months since Katrina and 17 months since Rita, and the state recovery program has cut less than 3,000 checks. At the time of the one-year anniversaries, not a single check had been issued.

This falls squarely on the shoulders of Gov. Blank-Stare. I am sure that there are many folks who want to get out of the trailers, but have no means to do so, thanks to Gov. Blank-Stare. The Legislature passed a unanimous resolution practially begging her to ditch the contractor running this program, and like an abused wife she repeatedly gave them "one more chance" to change their ways.

DESPICABLE!

[Lancey Howard]

LOL, ticks can be stubborn to pull off of your skin.

[tcrlaf]

Dean demanded that Katrina be politicised immediately after it started, because he wanted the same kind of traction that Dems got for Andrew...

End Result:
We will be supporting these Democrat Voters for a lifetime, OR MORE...

[macmedic892]

A few things to keep in mind:

The kind of devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has never been seen before:

780,000 of us temporarily displaced from our homes
123,000 homes suffered major or severe damage
82,000 rental units suffered major or severe damage
More than 18,000 businesses destroyed
About $25 billion in insured losses
In just six months since the storms, workers removed 25 times more debris from Louisiana than was removed from the World Trade Center site.

[Shimmer128]

Something else to keep in mind: Millions and millions and millions of assistance has been poured into these people and it's never enough.

[Freee-dame]

In just six months since the storms, workers removed 25 times more debris from Louisiana than was removed from the World Trade Center site.

This is a visual that will have impact. I have read that the effect was 300 times that of any previous hurricane. If that is anywhere near accurate, it is even more disgusting that the MSM keeps beating the ...whoever (usually GWB) didn't do anything...line. The need has just been so great.

[macmedic892]

The millions and millions of FEDERAL assistance has been tied up in the STATE bureaucracy. Over 110,600 applications have been submitted to the state Road Home program (www.road2LA.org), but less than 3,000 checks have been cut. Barely 3% of the total, and the vast majority of those checks--all but about 100--were distributed in February.

[WoofDog123]

the impact of katrina on the MS gulf coast in particular as well as New Orleans can only be compared in the western world to a 'localized' version of wartime destruction, a la world war II.

70 miles of developed coastline in MS was SCOURED, almost always several blocks in and sometimes much more. Debris in the surge essentially served as a battering ram and demolished pretty much any home it touched.

I have no idea what the deal with these fema trailers are and cannot comment on the specifics there.

[kaboom]

Sometimes it's time to move on. It's questionable if certain parts of NO should be rebuilt & habituated, and it's unreasonable to pay for people to sit around and wait to see if they can move back in. Perhaps more should be done to help people relocate elsewhere, but It's looking more and more like quite a few people are waiting to be delivered back to their original dwellings so that they can resume life as usual and pick of gov't checks until they expire.

I might be wrong about it all, but that's my perception based on all the news coming from the region. I'm sure that there are quite a few self starters who have just hit upon hard luck, but I am just as sure that there are scores of leeches looking to tap all they can from this disaster, and they start at the Gov and Mayor, then work their way down.

[PAR35]

A few things to keep in mind:

Tens of thousands of folks in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas, and Western Louisiana have gotten their acts together and rebuilt or moved on. Thousands of people in south Louisiana are still living on the dole.

[PAR35]

70 miles of developed coastline in MS was SCOURED

Yet the whining is always from the New Orleans area folks, not the Mississippians.

[Obie Wan]

For some reason FEMA and the Federal Government in general have been the fall guy since Katrina hit almost 2 yrs ago. Whether it's levy's that everyone knew were obsolete or people living dangerously close to the ocean in what amounts to a tidal plain not many people then or now see anybody at the local or state government level as having any responsibility for the situation since Katrina hit. Just a suggestion,maybe Mr. Tobias aught to take a little break from making kids and look for some work to help him and his family get out of the trailer park !!!

[pepsionice]

Its funny to review all of the hurricanes over the past 40 years...mostly in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama. There was immedate impact...and then a rebuilding effort (the gov't took care of roads and bridges...like they should....and private citizens took care of themselves). If someone chooses to live that close to the coast...they must have a mentality of survival. I just don't see that in New Orleans. Their attitude is wait for the government to personally hand the keys of a new house over to you.

[CurlyDave]

...weary residents said they were being left in the lurch once again...

Now these guys have been resting up for the past 18 months. If they are weary, that resting up has got to be a lot more strenuous than I remember.

Now I just got back from fixing up a house to put it on the market. 3 straight 10 hour days, and while I am tired, I am energized also, because I am doing something to advance myself...

[macmedic892]

Sometimes it's time to move on. It's questionable if certain parts of NO should be rebuilt & habituated, and it's unreasonable to pay for people to sit around and wait to see if they can move back in.

The original Rebuild New Orleans commission proposed abandoning portions of the city to reduce the size of the footprint, concentrating citizens into less-damaged areas until there's enough people, hurricane protection, and infrastructure (roads, hospitals, utilities) to repopulate the heavily damaged areas.

The problem was that N.O. had a mayoral election going on right then, and (IIRC) not one of the candidates supported this, saying people should be able to go back to where they lived pre-K--even if it's in the projects!

Also, a lot of people have taken the opportunity to leave New Orleans and its poverty, failed schools, violence. But there are also a number of people who want to make it better, but don't have the means to do so, since they are waiting for their Road Home settlement (max $150k).

I'm sure that there are quite a few self starters who have just hit upon hard luck . . .

And there are, but self-starters generally don't get press like this, because they don't sit around all day b!+ching and moaning, they go out and get the job done.

[river rat]

"There is the very definition of a useless citizen."

Somehow, fornicating leach is the term that comes to mind.
Not citizen....

Semper Fi

[macmedic892]

Sometimes it's time to move on. It's questionable if certain parts of NO should be rebuilt & habituated, and it's unreasonable to pay for people to sit around and wait to see if they can move back in.

The original Rebuild New Orleans commission proposed abandoning portions of the city to reduce the size of the footprint, concentrating citizens into less-damaged areas until there's enough people, hurricane protection, and infrastructure (roads, hospitals, utilities) to repopulate the heavily damaged areas.

The problem was that N.O. had a mayoral election going on right then, and (IIRC) not one of the candidates supported this, saying people should be able to go back to where they lived pre-K--even if it's in the projects!

Also, a lot of people have taken the opportunity to leave New Orleans and its poverty, failed schools, violence. But there are also a number of people who want to make it better, but don't have the means to do so, since they are waiting for their Road Home settlement (max $150k).

I'm sure that there are quite a few self starters who have just hit upon hard luck . . .

And there are, but self-starters generally don't get press like this, because they don't sit around all day b!+ching and moaning, they go out and get the job done.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I'm a "Katrina Evacuee" from Biloxi, Mississippi (yes, the hurricane hit Mississippi, not New Orleans--the shoddily-built levees failed in NOLA) and I am in Fort Worth, Texas. No one is paying my rent, buying my food, or anything else. My business was destroyed by the 38 foot surge of seawater, rendering me unemployed. I didn't think that the federal government owed me money for an act of God, and I still don't!

[Revelation 911]

Federal Emergency Management Agency determined it was too risky because of ongoing problems with raw sewage....

but they don't know how to help me out.

they'd prefer toilet paper and candles ?

[macmedic892]

Thousands of people in south Louisiana are still living on the dole.

Just like before the storm, unfortunately. Most folks are still fighting insurance companies and the Road Home program to get the funds that they need to demolish, rebuild, and furnish a home, with no idea whether there will be anybody else in the block, whether there will be sufficient police and fire protection (the NOFD has not repaired one fire house--some firefighters were injured last month when their trailer "station" was flipped over by a tornado), whether there will be any medical care nearby, even whether there will be a day care or grocery store nearby.

[miele man]

"In just six months since the storms, workers removed 25 times more debris from Louisiana than was removed from the World Trade Center site."

Given the relatively small footprint of debris from the WTC when compared to the much,much larger area of damage in Louisana, I would think the amount of debris removed from Louisana would be immemsely greater than just 25 times more debris.

[macmedic892]

It is; that statistic was just for the first 6 months.

[PAR35]

Most folks are still fighting insurance companies and the Road Home program to get the funds that they need to demolish, rebuild, and furnish a home

Rather than go with the low interest loan program, repaying the loan if the grants came through, they are holding out for the free money.

And these aren't the folks that parked the FEMA trailers on their damaged property until they could rebuild, they are the folks living in the trailer villages.

[macmedic892]

I'm a "Katrina Evacuee" from Biloxi and I am in Fort Worth, Texas. No one is paying my rent, buying my food, or anything else. My business was destroyed by the 38 foot surge of seawater, rendering me unemployed.

I am truly sorry to hear the damage that Katrina wrought on your life and livelihood.

I didn't think that the federal government owed me money for an act of God, and I still don't!

With all due respect,(no sarcasm intended) your home, business, and vehicles were properly insured, weren't they? Most of the residential property in the poorer neighborhoods were either under- or un-insured. We have come to a point in our nation's history, where if a natural disaster strikes, and you cannot provide for yourself, the government will. But the scale of destruction is beyond anything we've had to deal with since San Francisco in 1906.

[Old Professer]

Suspect arrested in weekend shootout

09:35 PM CST on Tuesday, February 27, 2007

WWLTV.com

Jefferson Parish authorities said Tuesday a man murdered in a deadly shootout in Metairie Sunday was not the innocent bystander they thought he was.







Police had described the incident in Shrewsbury as a gangland-style shooting, and said 27-year-old Fredrick Washington was part of a group of men who went to an apartment complex on Katlin Street to gun down another group of men.


Deputies were searching for two suspects Tuesday. One of the men, Allsee Tobias turned himself in and was charged with one count of first degree murder. Deputies were still searching for Washington's brother, Andre Washington.


The group is accused of surrounding the apartment and opening fire, striking three men and one of their own.


Anyone with information has been asked to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111. Callers do not have to leave a name and could be eligible for a reward.
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[Old Professer]

That part was a bit misleading; out of the people interviewed and featured, 10 of them were children; they weren't necessarily related except by circumstance.

[Old Professer]

At least, deplorable.

[Old Professer]

...between sugar and syphilis

[CheyennePress]

Well, you're right. Or at least more right than I was. They were related to one another (i.e. his 20 relative), but of those 20 relatives, 10 were kids--not necessarily his.

Ah, well. In any case, I think I overreacted, no matter whose kids they were.

[No Surrender No Retreat]

Good Morning AnAmericanMother,
What we have in that FEMA trailer park are those who believe and teach their unfathered children "Welfare&ADC" are professional upward mobile careers.
Put the able-bodied(tobias(s)&other(s) to work digging ditches, picking up trash or road work so that maybe, just maybe the might contribute something to America for a change.

Give A Damn,
NSNR-CSAOTL

[No Surrender No Retreat]

Mornng PAR35,
Some typical far left liberal responses: Those people in Ms, Al, Fl, Tx and west La. were all born with "silver spoons in their mouths,(projected mindset as (rich&white).

They had boot-straps for which to pull them selves up. We(to whom the shoe fits) had no boots or straps to pull ourselves up with in life.(life is not fair???)

I thought you would appreciate a little satire on the warped logic of the left's victimology theory.

Maybe if they got a (J-O-B) and started trying to act like Americans with some pride, then the boots&and straps would be on their shiftless feet.

In closing per my opinion Nagin&Jefferson are worthless victimology proponent racists. Further more a sad excuse for men and elected officials. Blanko and Landrieu are nothing more than WTOT "white trash oxygen thieves" coupled with their main squeezes' "funkin ragin nagin& long-greenjefferson."

I wonder how this scenario(Katrina N.O.L.A) would have played out under "draft dodger bill's" 8 year reign of terror. "Klintoon I feels ya'lls pain and now I will provide some special emotional healing to all you interns of the ninth ward.

In closing one last word for nagin, blanko, jefferson and landrieu. The mind is a terrible thing to waste, "stomp your's into oblivion" for the good of all Americans.

Respectfully,
NSNR-CSAOTL

[No Surrender No Retreat]

You must have been a graduate of the Imjin Scout Course. It is a pity that the state and city neglected the levees for other priorities in NOLA.

It is very self evident you are one person who believes and emulates the 2nd ID's motto, "Second To None."

I wish you&family the best in life always. I was with the 7th ID, "Hour Glass" rockin on up to the DMZ.

Respectfully Your's,
NSNR-Ret. USA.M.P.C.

[EndWelfareToday]

;-)