Debris workers lodging extended (N.O. FEMA vol.camps open 'til 6/1)

[uppityperson]

FEMA to keep camps at least until June 1
Saturday, April 08, 2006
By Paul Purpura
West Bank bureau

Volunteers flocking to the New Orleans area to help clear storm debris and gut flooded houses will have free lodging at least through June 1, FEMA announced Friday, days before the agency had planned to close its four camps for relief workers.

The sites in Algiers, Chalmette, Port Sulphur and Cameron Parish had been slated to close next week, leaving volunteer organizations traveling to the region to help with post-Katrina recovery efforts scrambling for alternate sites. The four camps combined house about 1,500 people, but the number of beds has varied based on need, said Elizabeth Childs, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Under FEMA contracts, firms have operated the tent cities for months, initially to help emergency workers and National Guard troops in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As first responders and troops left, the lodging was opened to volunteers, from faith-based groups to college students on spring break. By one count, as many as 10,000 volunteers were in the area last month...(more@link)

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1144478745309480.xml

[Mikimouse]

1. How cool!

The volunteers have guaranteed housing, while the original residents do not. How cool is that?:sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

2. Volunteers are necessary, and these are camps.

Would you like FEMA to open up military style tent camps for residents? I don't think FEMAMansions (trailers) are the way to go, but also don't have a problem with FEMA helping house volunteers.

I have stayed at 3 different camps as a volunteer, no FEMA ones. Some of the private citizen/non-profit volunteer camps also had residents staying there, some didn't. It all depends. Volunteers are necessary to get this area back together since the gvt ain't doing squat. Here's some more info on these camps.

First a picture, for some reason it doesn't show, but click on the link. ?v=0

More from NOLA article, couple random clips

Hearing murmurs of the camps' closing in recent weeks, Habitat for Humanity and St. Bernard Parish officials began working on an alternate site for 800 workers in Arabi, as Camp Premier in Chalmette, which has housed 7,500 volunteers so far, was slated to close Wednesday, said Michael Hayes, who has recruited volunteers for the nonprofit group....

"Our base camp operations have been a vital support component for workers, many of them volunteers, that have come to help in the recovery," FEMA's deputy director for Gulf Coast operations Gil Jamieson said. U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, opposed the camps' closure, saying in a March 29 letter to acting FEMA director David Paulison that more than 400 volunteer groups have helped in recovery efforts. "It would be impossible to carry out the sheer volume of recovery needs without the assistance of volunteer organizations," he wrote.

A couple blogs about the camps...
http://www.5280.com/blog/?p=1555#more-1555

January 22, 2006, 1800 hours. From what I’ve heard there are four camps like Camp Algiers spread throughout New Orleans. Ours is a military installation that is currently housing roughly 975 people. 75% are military, mostly National Guard, but some Army, while the other 25% are volunteers from various churches and like organizations around the country. There are also a few paid laborers staying here, but apparently they typically migrate more towards the FEMA runned camps a few miles away.

The camp is set up in five tents that span the size of a pro football field. There are about 200 cots per tent. His and hers showers are available, as well as 10-15 port-a-potties outside each tent. There’s a chow hall, a laundry tent and a recreation tent (where I watched my beloved Broncos get smashed by the Steelers today). It is a camp full of hope and promise, filled with lives that have purpose here and believe they can provide a source of inspiration with their hearts and hands.

We started the day in typical military fashion. The bugle announcing the dining room was open around 5:30 this morning and plenty of movement in the tents so no one missed their window to get they’re grub on. ...(More@link)

http://triangleshrub.blogspot.com/ another volunteers blog says this...

Camp Algiers, a FEMA operated base in Louisiana, is being closed on April 10th. I spent a week at Camp Algiers a couple months back. It houses and feeds roughly 2000 people a day that are either volunteers or U.S. military helping with the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans and the surrounding areas in Louisiana.

First of all, if you were planning on heading to New Orleans to help out and planned on crashing at Camp Algiers, there are other options. Click here for possible solutions to your visit down there and please don't be deterred by this news.

However, FEMA's site has no mention on their website as to anything like this happening. Which means a) the corruption got so bad at Algiers that it's being shut down to ease the embarrassment of its ever-unfolding calamity or b) FEMA (or the federal government in general) isn't interested in helping the recovery efforts. It's most likely a combination of both and in either case they didn't feel it was news worthy that Algiers was closed for business come April 10th....(more@link)

[Mikimouse]

3. I think you misunderstood my post...

I have no problem with FEMA providing food, shelter, or anything else that volunteers may need; in fact, ANYTHING that will give them some incentive to stay is fine with me. My comment was directed to an obvious problem with the housing of evacuees. Very little has been done in terms of settling those folks anywhere near their original homes, and now we have some of the residents of NO complaining about the placement of trailer parks. I am frankly appalled about the housing situation.

[uppityperson]

5. Got it, I did misunderstand, sorry. Gave me a chance to do some research

The housing situation in appalling. IF you have had the ability (monetary and time and energy) to muck out, deconstruct, pressure wash, resconstruct your house, IF you have been let back in long enough ago to be able to do this, or IF you have been loaned a FEMAmansion and actually been able to get it unlocked and moved in, your friends, family and neighbors most likely haven't had the help they need to do so. Last week I saw quite a few houses that were in the mucking/etc stages. Depending on where you were there were .125-5/block. I could not live in the mold infested environment, even if I were to have a clean house the whole general area has mold. And then there is the question of what happens this hurricane season to the already damaged homes and FEMAmansions. Argh.

Anyway, sorry, I did misunderstand. I got to do some more research on the FEMA camps, found out more about them.

[Mikimouse]

7. All is well, and...

if I can continue to learn about the conditions in NO from you, I would welcome the opportunity, as I am trained as a disaster researcher (Sociological perspective) and am currently trying to construct a quantitative model that could generally be used to evaluate the Katrina debacle.:toast:

[uppityperson]

8. Here you go...

when in trouble
when in doubt
run in circles
scream and shout

[Mikimouse]

9. BWHAHAHAHAHA! You Rock!...n/t

[Earth_First]

4. Right on...

My father left for New Orleans this morning for three weeks. He will be pleased to hear of this news when he arrives later tonight.

[uppityperson]

6. cool, where's he staying, who's he working with?