Trailer Trouble Chills New Orleans-FEMA Relations (FEMA "bullying"?)

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/Reuters: Trailer Trouble Chills New Orleans-FEMA Relations
By REUTERS
Published: April 3, 2006

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Relations between New Orleans and the U.S. agency in charge of funding Hurricane Katrina rebuilding hit a new low on Monday when the city demanded Washington replace a federal team for "disrespecting" citizens.

The demand was sparked by a weekend fracas during which security guards threatened homeowners opposed to a temporary housing site. It is the latest of several battles between the city and Federal Emergency Management Agency dating back to the devastating August 29 storm.

Mayor Ray Nagin said he will urge U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to replace the FEMA team in charge of setting up the travel-trailer villages that have sprung up to house residents whose homes were damaged in the hurricane.

Nagin also declared an immediate halt to work at the disputed site and others being prepared for trailers, saying citizens were subject to "bullying and intimidation."

"I'm just putting my foot down. I've had enough. I'm not going to allow anybody coming from another place -- federal government, I don't care -- you're not going to come in and disrespect our citizens," he told reporters. "And if I have to shut this down and figure out a way to go borrow money to get this work done for temporary housing, we're going to do that."...

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-hurricanes-fema.html

[MadMaddie]

1. Nagin...standing up for the citizens....good for him...

Fema must get rid of Chertoff...he has failed miserably...this organization has no chance...

[rodeodance]

2. shameful.---glad to see Reuters do a piece on it and keep it front burner.