Democrats slam housing failure for Katrina victims
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Democrats' leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, said he was "ashamed for our country" after visiting the thousands of FEMA-owned mobile homes lined up at Hope Airport that have yet to be used as shelters for hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast.
"I can't imagine that we could have a sea of 11,000 mobile homes sitting there, rotting, while people around the country can't find a place to live," Reid said Saturday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said that it was unable to put the trailers to use because federal regulations prohibit placing them in flood plains, and many of those needing shelter after the hurricanes are in areas classified as flood-prone.
Cost estimates for the trailers have ranged from $350 million (€293.65 million) to $800 million (€671.2 million).