This story was reported last week and even though it has taken me a week to write this diary, I felt it was important to recognize that there are people along the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast who are still suffering and will continue to suffer from Hurricane Katrina and the after effects of the storm and of government failures.
In a joint press release by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FEMA on Feb. 14, it was announced that Hurricane Katrina refugees living in FEMA trailers were urged to move out of the trailers due to high levels of formaldehyde fumes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released today preliminary results from recent testing that found higher than typical indoor exposure levels of formaldehyde in travel trailers and mobile homes used as emergency housing in the Gulf Coast Region.
"These findings support FEMA's continued focus on finding permanent housing for everyone who has been living in travel trailers and mobile homes since the hurricanes," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "The levels in many of these trailers and mobile homes are higher than would be expected indoors. Since these levels were found in December and January, and we know that higher temperatures can cause formaldehyde levels to go up, we think it's wise for people to be relocated before the hot weather arrives in summer. We also think that it would be beneficial for people who are displaying symptoms as well as households with children, elderly persons, or occupants with chronic respiratory illnesses to receive priority consideration for alternate housing."
I heard this story and found myself feeling not only saddened for these people who must feel as if they have been cast aside and forgotten about, but also angry at my government for their utter incompetence at every level, and embarrassed for myself for feeling powerless and useless while seeing this abuse of American citizens linger for 2 1/2 years.
While the aftermath of Katrina was extensively covered and images of refugees abandoned in the sweltering summer heat were broadcast for days after the storm, the story of this massive government failure really began before the storm hit. It began when our country stopped maintaining it's infrastructure properly and refused to invest in progressive, innovative technology to keep this country safe. It began when 'good enough' became a standard for this country. We have been accepting and expecting mediocrity and we have received much less than that. We have become stagnant in using our resources, power, and talent to move ourselves forward.
I remember the first few days after Katrina seeing the images of those stranded in the Superdome, mired in filth with no water to be had and feeling that I must do something.
I live on the Gulf Coast only 5 hours from New Orleans and thought that I should go there and help. Then reports started coming out that the roads into New Orleans were closed, nobody could get in, and that the Coast Guard and those in the National Guard who had not been deployed to Iraq were on their way. So I stayed home. I donated water, I gave money, but I watched from the comfort of my home that, thankfully, was spared the full brunt of the storm, while the people of New Orleans were treated like animals. After baking in the New Orleans heat for days, they were sent to live in unfamiliar cities throughout the country. Families were separated, pets were abandoned, belongings were lost, lives were turned upside down.
And yet, Barabara Bush, while touring the Astrodome stated:
And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them.
I couldn't believe that this was my country and that this woman was the mother of the man in charge who supposed to be leading and protecting all American citizens.
There was an anger and frustration inside of me with no outlet.
As time passed, these feelings dulled. I seemed to me that in this country it was becoming every man for himself. The government had failed us.
When I heard the story of the toxic FEMA trailers reported on NPR last Thursday afternoon, the anger came roaring back. I was surprised at the emotion that I was feeling when I heard of the incredibly high levels of formaldehyde in the trailers.
Tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on more than 500 trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi showed formaldehyde levels that were five times higher than levels in a normal house. The levels in some trailers were nearly 40 times what is normal. The CDC said people should move out quickly — especially children, the elderly and anyone with asthma or another chronic condition. Warmer temperatures can increase formaldehyde levels, and CDC officials said they want residents to move out of the trailers before summer.
Unbelievable. These people have been let down at every turn. What's worse is that these trailers were not the only option. Marianne Cusato had designed the 'Katrina Cottage', a small 300 square foot structure intended to be tempoary housing for hurricane victims.
Of course, this was too good to be true.
We like the Cottage because they're cheaper and safer than a FEMA trailer, and are also more permanent; additions can be built, turning the cottage into a home. Herein lies the difficulty, though: under federal law, FEMA cannot spend money on "permanent" housing.
In October of 2006, revisions were made to the Stafford Act that allowed FEMA to use more permanent structures such as Katrina Cottages for emergency housing, but for many, it was too late.
FEMA provided about 120,000 trailers in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. By 2006, many people were complaining of nosebleeds, headaches and other illnesses. Some of them testified before Congress last summer, and at least 1,000 families have asked FEMA to move them.
When I started thinking about writing this diary, I wanted to draw attention to the fact that there were still battles being waged in Louisiana and Mississippi. The last thing I wanted to do was to write a candidate diary. As I remembered those weeks and moments in August and September of 2005, however, I realized that the passion that the candidate I am supporting evokes from people and the movement he has created stems directly from that time. I feel that, on some level, we are looking for redemption and want to say to the victims of Hurricane Katrina that we won't let this happen again. We need a president that will ask us to strive for excellence, that will let our voices be heard, and that will ask for our help to make this country stronger.
We will do better.
'Good enough' is no longer good enough.
Yes we can!