Verdict reached in 1st trial over claims FEMA trailers exposed hurricane victims to fumes

September 24th, 2009 Jurors: FEMA trailer didn't expose family to fumesNEW ORLEANS — A federal jury on Thursday rejected a New Orleans family's assertions that the government-issued trailer they lived in after Hurricane Katrina exposed them to dangerous fumes, in the first of several trials that could lead to hundreds of similar claims being resolved. Five men and three women decided that a trailer made by Gulf Stream Coach Inc.

September 14th, 2009 1st trial over FEMA trailer fumes opens in La.NEW ORLEANS — For the first time since Hurricane Katrina left tens of thousands of families living in FEMA trailers, a federal jury heard allegations Monday that the government-issued shelters exposed Gulf Coast storm victims to hazardous formaldehyde fumes. A New Orleans woman suing trailer maker Gulf Stream Coach Inc.

July 24th, 2009 Report blasts FEMA on storm trailer formaldehydeNEW ORLEANS — The Federal Emergency Management Agency took too long to respond to initial reports of dangerous levels of formaldehyde in trailers delivered to victims of the 2005 hurricanes, exposing people to possible health risks, a report of the Homeland Security Department inspector general said Thursday. "FEMA did not display a degree of urgency in reacting to the reported formaldehyde problem," the report said, "a problem that could pose a significant health risk" to those living in the temporary housing.

July 8th, 2009 Watchdog: FEMA still lacks housing planWASHINGTON — The government could end up repeating mistakes seen after Hurricane Katrina without a better plan for housing people after a catastrophe, the Homeland Security Department's internal watchdog told lawmakers Wednesday. Richard Skinner, DHS's inspector general, said at a House Homeland Security hearing that the agency still relies too heavily on temporary mobile homes, and it doesn't have a coordinated plan for more quickly getting people into permanent housing.

June 25th, 2009 Report: FEMA misspent $7 million on warehousesWASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency ignored the law and misused millions of dollars to build two warehouses after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, according to government investigators. Some of the money FEMA misused should have gone toward Katrina victims in Louisiana, according to a Homeland Security Inspector General report obtained by The Associated Press.

June 17th, 2009 Audit: FEMA failed to follow contracting rulesWASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to follow some federal contracting rules, making it impossible to know whether the agency got its money's worth during disasters, a government audit found. In a report released Tuesday, the inspector general for the Homeland Security Department said that auditors looked at 32 disaster contracts from 2007.

June 17th, 2009 Texas woman stole, sold Hurricane Rita trailerBEAUMONT, Texas — A Texas woman who stole a Hurricane Rita travel trailer and resold it has pleaded guilty to theft of government property. The U.S. Attorney's office in Beaumont on Tuesday announced the plea by 44-year-old Shelley Jerie Dewitt of Vidor (VY'-dor).

June 3rd, 2009 HUD sets options for hurricane victims in trailersNEW ORLEANS — President Barack Obama's administration, which is trying to avoid mass evictions of hurricane victims still living in federally supplied trailers along the Gulf Coast, will offer $50 million in new housing vouchers and sell trailers for as little as $1, an administration official said. A senior administration official with knowledge of the Department of Housing and Urban Development plan spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan wasn't going to be made public until later Wednesday.

June 3rd, 2009 Hurricane victims still in trailers get optionsNEW ORLEANS — Thousands of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who have missed deadline after deadline to leave their federal housing are being offered additional help and the chance to buy trailers for as little as $1 as the government seeks to avoid mass evictions. For weeks, officials have been warning people displaced by Katrina and Rita in 2005 that their federally supplied trailers and mobile homes might be repossessed if they stay.

May 30th, 2009 FEMA working to move Gulf Coast trailer-dwellersNEW ORLEANS — The only thing keeping Gerard Rigney from getting back into his home is the FEMA trailer in his front yard. It needs to vanish so his plumber can redo the piping into the house, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina's flood waters almost four years ago.

May 30th, 2009 Gulf Coast trailer-dwellers may soon get the bootNEW ORLEANS — The only thing keeping Gerard Rigney from getting back into his home is the FEMA trailer in his front yard. It needs to vanish so his plumber can redo the piping into the house, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina's flood waters almost four years ago.

May 29th, 2009 Obama: Residents must prepare for hurricanesWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama urged residents of hurricane-prone communities on Friday to take responsibility for their own safety and start planning now. Hurricane season officially begins Monday.

May 29th, 2009 Cyber security, FEMA meeting on Obama's agendaWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is to address a 21st century defense threat — protecting the nation against a cyber attack. Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks Friday morning on how the government plans to better secure the nation's computer infrastructure.

May 14th, 2009 FEMA rolls out new disaster housing optionsEMMITSBURG, Md. — Federal officials are rolling out new mobile homes for disaster victims to replace the much-criticized travel trailers used in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

May 14th, 2009 FEMA tricks out new trailers for next disasterEMMITSBURG, Md. — They're clean, shutterless and decorated with a rainbow of beige hues.