WASHINGTON (AP) — The government may house disaster victims in travel trailers again this hurricane season as a last resort, despite promises never to use them again because of high levels of formaldehyde found in trailers used after the Katrina catastrophe.
Only the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency can approve the use of such trailers, and they must meet the agency's requirement for minimal levels of formaldehyde, according to a draft of the agency's five-page 2008 hurricane-season plan, obtained by The Associated Press. Also, disaster victims could stay in the trailers for only six months.
Hurricane season started June 1 and will last through November. Forecasters predict the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will be busier than average, with a good chance of six to nine hurricanes forming, including two to five major ones.
The Bush administration and FEMA came under heavy criticism for the response to Katrina in 2005. About 1 million people were displaced because of the hurricane and thousands were sent to emergency travel trailers. It was later discovered that the trailers had high levels of formaldehyde — a preservative commonly used in building materials. Prolonged exposure can lead to breathing problems and is also believed to cause cancer. Read more...
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