Okay, I'm a moran. So can someone explain to me like I'm 8 years old

[karlrschneider]

why there are 10,000 trailers parked by the Hope, AR airport bought & paid for (very handsomely) by FEMA and there are 20,000 homeless people around NOLA who could really use them?

I understand there are infrastructure problems, but how much like rocket science is it to hook up a generator and deliver a reasonable supply of bottled water? As for sewerage, I have a friend who can dig a septic tank in 20 minutes. And the only thing that REALLY needs to go to septic is human waste...water from bathing and washing can be used to water the lawn.

[burythehatchet]

1. The excuse du jour is that trailers cannot be

placed in a flood plain, per FEMA regs.

[annabanana]

3. And how is that excuse sustainable?

If that's all there is to it... Why hasn't that reg been struck down?

[seriousstan]

6. Because there are reasons for not putting them in a flood plain

when spring rains and hurricane season are soon approaching. I would think that another place could be found though.

[waiting for hope]

8. They can be put in Northern Louisiana

or in areas of Mississippi - they are going to have to spend some more serious money to purchase jacks in order to keep them from sinking in the ground where they are now. My husband was born and raised in NO (we moved to NC in 2002) and he was so outraged over this story - main question - who got super rich on the deal? .. aside for the airport that I believe is raking in about 25,000 a month to keep the trailers there.

[Gman]

10. another place?

I would think somewhere a little closer to Louisiana would be good.

Spring rain? I wonder if they're in the same drought we're in here in Texas.

[SeattleGirl]

7. So, of course they had to get those kinds of trailers!

And the trailers are sinking into the dirt where they're sitting. The incompetence of these people is astounding.

[annabanana]

2. I've been wondering about that myself...

If an adequate explanation has been put out there, I've missed it.

[napi21]

4. The one gripe I heard was that nobody in NO wants trailer

parks in their neighborhood. I have no idea if this is true or just more BS, but that's the only excuse I've heard.

[Mikimouse]

9. Exactly that has happened in the past. After the Cuero, texas...

floods in 1998, FEMA had plans to import a large number of house trailers to the area, but the town didn't want trailer parks 'cluttering' up the scenery. After months of negotiations, a trailer park was finally approved, but on the outskirts of the town. Incidentally, Cuero has a similar demographic to New Orleans, in terms of poverty and racial content.

[stepnw1f]

5. I Wondered the Same Thing

There really is noexcuse for anything regarding the aftermath of Katrina. It's a great example of how the GOP treats human beings.

[AFFIRM]

11. The real story that everyone is missing:

I just want to know who won the no bid contract to build all these trailers that no one can use.

[tularetom]

12. Hey why was there 50,000 lbs of ice

sitting in trucks in Maine after it was supposed to be delivered to NO? The people in charge must know what they are doing otherwise they wouldn't be in charge, right? I'm sure there is a really good reason for this and they will tell us when we need to know. By the way if you haven't done anything wrong you don't have to worry about NSA spying on you. And wait till you see the bridge I want to sell you.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

15. Hey, we had something like 20 trucks of ice here in Idaho

The trucks left here to a lot of fanfare (and flag waving), but reappeared a couple weeks later, still full of ice.

[MadMaddie]

13. Get Ready to be pissed off......

I know all of you are going to be surprised that it was a political crony that didn't even build trailers.......

<snip>
FEMA spent $441 million on the 10,777 trailers and is preparing to spend another $6 million for gravel to keep them from sinking, said Ross.
<snip>

The shop that got the no bid contract the politically connected River Ridge custom motorcycle shop

Obstacles cleared quietly for politically connected shop


http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1133078693201210.xml

[karlrschneider]

14. SNAFUBAR

:grr:

[yankeeinlouisiana]

16. Water the lawn?

"water from bathing and washing can be used to water the lawn."

There are no lawns. Anyone who needs a trailer has no grass left.

And you have to have water hook ups from your water line and drainage to your sewer system. They don't make it simple.