Fix, Keep Moldy Trailers--What?!?!

[Guest guest]

FEMA hasn't learned anything from Katrina---still using the moldy/toxic

trailers.  I hope some of you will send messages to the Des Moines Register and

Senator Grassley.

Email names for Des Moines Register publisher and editor:

cwashbur@...

publisher@...

Website for Senator Grassley:

http://grassley.senate.gov

Article in Des Moines Register today:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS/807220\

387

July 22, 2008

Fix, keep moldy trailers, cities say

BY GRANT SCHULTE

gschulte@...

Cedar Rapids, Ia. – More than 200 FEMA mobile homes that were ordered out of

Iowa because of mold problems should remain in the state if they can be cleaned

and deemed safe, officials from two flooded cities said Monday.

City council members in Cedar Rapids and Palo said removing the temporary homes

with mold-prone water heaters could create delays as both cities deal with dire

housing shortages and flooded-out constituents.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency discovered mold late last week in some

of the exterior closets that house the water heaters, and notified residents " in

an abundance of caution, " the agency announced Saturday. No mold was found in

the space where residents live.

Lt. Gov. Patty Judge told FEMA to remove all of those homes and find other

housing for the displaced residents. The decision forced more than 20 Cedar

Rapids families to move again, this time to the downtown Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Greene, a spokeswoman for Judge, said inspecting and cleaning the

mobile homes would cause just as many delays as replacing them. Some of the

mold, she said, was found on wooden and porcelain surfaces that can't be

cleaned.

" I don't even know if this is a delay issue or a money issue, " Greene said.

" It's a health issue. Lt. Gov. Judge cannot in good conscience place any family

in a substandard housing unit. "

Judge asked FEMA to try to use mobile homes already in the Midwest to save time,

according to a news release.

Mold can cause mild allergic reactions, such as congestion or itchy eyes, but it

is rarely a major health concern, the public health department has said.

Last month's record flooding displaced an estimated 25,000 residents in Cedar

Rapids and hit all but 10 of the 423 homes and businesses in Palo. a Gunter,

a Palo City Council member, said some residents have spent the past month in

tents as they await replacement housing.

Cedar Rapids City Councilman Chuck Wieneke said he agreed with the decision to

remove unsafe mobile homes, but he wondered whether officials could inspect and

clean them with less delay and expense.

" Of course, we should let folks know if there's problem, " he said. " And if they

want to move out of the trailer, they can. But let's not make this a blanket

thing where all of the trailers go out. If they don't have a problem, let them

stay. "

Jeff Beauregard, the mayor of neighboring Palo, raised similar concerns Monday

during a meeting with U.S. Sen. Grassley. Beauregard said none of his

displaced constituents has received temporary housing.

In an interview, Grassley said he agreed with Judge's decision to " play it

safe. " But he said cleaning the homes, if possible, might be a better

alternative.

Many of the 200 mobile homes are still in Iowa and probably will stay through

this week because of the time required to disconnect each model, said FEMA

spokesman Mark Stone.

Stone said FEMA offered to clean the homes but agreed to replace them at Judge's

request.

" We're here for the state. We're here for the locality, " Stone said. " We're not

in a position to say whether that is a right or a wrong response. "

FEMA has shipped more than 300 temporary homes from Arkansas and land to

Cedar Rapids, Oakville and other hard-hit towns since last month, and it expects

to send an additional 42 next week. The mold was discovered by a FEMA inspector.

Cedar Rapids City Council members said they may allow residents to live in

travel trailers and campers near their homes as they recover.

City officials want " safe, affordable and sustainable long-term housing

options, " said Councilman Fagan.

" Obviously, the multiple disruptions in people's lives are a concern, " Fagan

said. " But in the end, the safety of our residents has to prevail. "

The water heaters prone to mold are accessible from the outside, not the

interior of the mobile homes.

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