NO FEMA Trailers!
Monday December 12, 2005
Tonight there was a meeting at the Parish Police Jury Chambers. It was a special meeting with all the mayors invited to hear from a gentleman from the State Department of Revenue.
There are some 200,000 homes that have been destroyed or are uninhabitable. There are thousands of travel trailers that have been purchased to provide temporary (6 to 18 month) housing for folks currently living in hotels or sharing space with relatives. The problem is where to put the trailers.
FEMA did an inventory of all vacant land as close to the areas with displaced population as possible. The then eliminated the parcels that are too far away from towns, don’t have public transportation, are near overcrowded schools, or where there is inadequate utilities. About 5 sites in Allen Parish were identified as potential sites for small temporary trailer parks and were submitted to the Police Jury (aka County Council) for consideration. The gentleman from the State explained that those evacuees already living in Allen Parish would be given first preference, if there were still spots available, evacuees from adjacent parishes would be contacted next.
Knowing that it would be their “neighbors” who would be using the trailers placated some in the audience. Early news reports of trailer parks with 50 or 100 or more trailers had, however, spooked the residents of this rural parish. They wanted no part of FEMA Trailer Parks. The president of the Police Jury, quite passionately explained that the people of Allen Parish had helped evacuees and wanted to help their neighbors in any way possible, but just could not handle trailer parks. Instead he urged citizens to consider whether they had sufficient room on their property to host one, two or maybe three trailers and if they did, pleases contact the Police Jury.
Reading the papers, FEMA and the State will have a job cut out for them finding a place for these trailers and getting people out of hotel rooms. It seems most Parishes feel the same way as the people of Allen Parish – even the Parishes with significant damage.
Given the large number of house trailers in the Parish, it does not seem to be an aversion to this type of domicile. The concern seems to be the density, knowing who would be moving in, and not wanting to change the rural nature of the Parish. Outside the meeting, some citizens would quite candidly say that they do not want a large number of blacks from New Orleans moving into their community for an extended period of time and perhaps permanently.
I have seen various statistics indicating that the Parish is between a quarter and a third black. And it would appear that the black and white folks in the parish get along well and work together well. In fact as of January, the only black member of the Police Jury will become Parish President. So it seems to be a class and or cultural thing. Some folks are afraid of city people in general having a negative affect on the local community and for some black city people in particular.
I have a lot to learn about these people.
Tonight there was a meeting at the Parish Police Jury Chambers. It was a special meeting with all the mayors invited to hear from a gentleman from the State Department of Revenue.
There are some 200,000 homes that have been destroyed or are uninhabitable. There are thousands of travel trailers that have been purchased to provide temporary (6 to 18 month) housing for folks currently living in hotels or sharing space with relatives. The problem is where to put the trailers.
FEMA did an inventory of all vacant land as close to the areas with displaced population as possible. The then eliminated the parcels that are too far away from towns, don’t have public transportation, are near overcrowded schools, or where there is inadequate utilities. About 5 sites in Allen Parish were identified as potential sites for small temporary trailer parks and were submitted to the Police Jury (aka County Council) for consideration. The gentleman from the State explained that those evacuees already living in Allen Parish would be given first preference, if there were still spots available, evacuees from adjacent parishes would be contacted next.
Knowing that it would be their “neighbors” who would be using the trailers placated some in the audience. Early news reports of trailer parks with 50 or 100 or more trailers had, however, spooked the residents of this rural parish. They wanted no part of FEMA Trailer Parks. The president of the Police Jury, quite passionately explained that the people of Allen Parish had helped evacuees and wanted to help their neighbors in any way possible, but just could not handle trailer parks. Instead he urged citizens to consider whether they had sufficient room on their property to host one, two or maybe three trailers and if they did, pleases contact the Police Jury.
Reading the papers, FEMA and the State will have a job cut out for them finding a place for these trailers and getting people out of hotel rooms. It seems most Parishes feel the same way as the people of Allen Parish – even the Parishes with significant damage.
Given the large number of house trailers in the Parish, it does not seem to be an aversion to this type of domicile. The concern seems to be the density, knowing who would be moving in, and not wanting to change the rural nature of the Parish. Outside the meeting, some citizens would quite candidly say that they do not want a large number of blacks from New Orleans moving into their community for an extended period of time and perhaps permanently.
I have seen various statistics indicating that the Parish is between a quarter and a third black. And it would appear that the black and white folks in the parish get along well and work together well. In fact as of January, the only black member of the Police Jury will become Parish President. So it seems to be a class and or cultural thing. Some folks are afraid of city people in general having a negative affect on the local community and for some black city people in particular.
I have a lot to learn about these people.
posted by J Corlss at 7:57 AM
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