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FEMA should retest its trailers
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s agreement to retest some of the trailers sent to Iowa, and pay for alternative housing in the meantime, is the best course in order to maintain credibility.
The agency brought in 544 mobile homes for flood victims, mostly in Linn County. Some trailers were also delivered to Black Hawk County.
Requests for retesting, and worries about being displaced again, mounted after questions about air quality surfaced.
In a letter to FEMA, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley requested that the agency produce original test results and retest the trailers.
"FEMA has a pattern of health and safety problems with the trailers they issue, from unsafe levels of formaldehyde in previous disasters to large amounts of mold found in some Iowa trailers, and now to reports of dangerous formaldehyde in even more Iowa trailers," Braley said in the letter. "Given this record, it is imperative FEMA go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that their trailers are safe, by making public all records of formaldehyde testing and retesting the trailers in question. Openness and full disclosure by FEMA is the only responsible way to resolve this problem."
Braley was dead-on regarding this issue.
Government tests have shown high formaldehyde levels in FEMA trailers sent to Gulf Coast hurricane victims starting in 2005, and a judge recently cited evidence FEMA delayed an investigation into complaints about the homes there.
Last month, a Cedar Rapids television station contracted with a chemical testing company and tested 20 trailers in Cedar Rapids that were occupied by flood victims. They reported that all 20 trailers exceeded FEMA’s standard for formaldehyde.
In addition, some of the FEMA trailers delivered to Black Hawk County last summer had mold in the exterior closets, as had been the case in other Iowa counties.
FEMA officials took umbrage with the report, saying that each and every trailer passed testing before it was brought into the state. Officials said that a resident’s lifestyle — smoking, cooking, furniture from wood products and even perfumes or air fresheners — can affect a home’s air quality.
We don’t dispute that.
Unfortunately, FEMA’s past failings on similar housing needs dictate that action be taken to assure those living in trailers are safe.
After meetings in Cedar Falls, Marion and Wapello, FEMA relented and has been retesting trailers for occupants who have requested it. The agency is also paying for a motel stay during the indoor air quality testing period.
The flood victims living in temporary housing have been through enough. The health and safety of those victims should be of utmost importance. Considering FEMA’s past — in regards to temporary housing — it is a good call to err on the side of safety and retest the trailers.
The agency brought in 544 mobile homes for flood victims, mostly in Linn County. Some trailers were also delivered to Black Hawk County.
Requests for retesting, and worries about being displaced again, mounted after questions about air quality surfaced.
In a letter to FEMA, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley requested that the agency produce original test results and retest the trailers.
"FEMA has a pattern of health and safety problems with the trailers they issue, from unsafe levels of formaldehyde in previous disasters to large amounts of mold found in some Iowa trailers, and now to reports of dangerous formaldehyde in even more Iowa trailers," Braley said in the letter. "Given this record, it is imperative FEMA go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that their trailers are safe, by making public all records of formaldehyde testing and retesting the trailers in question. Openness and full disclosure by FEMA is the only responsible way to resolve this problem."
Braley was dead-on regarding this issue.
Government tests have shown high formaldehyde levels in FEMA trailers sent to Gulf Coast hurricane victims starting in 2005, and a judge recently cited evidence FEMA delayed an investigation into complaints about the homes there.
Last month, a Cedar Rapids television station contracted with a chemical testing company and tested 20 trailers in Cedar Rapids that were occupied by flood victims. They reported that all 20 trailers exceeded FEMA’s standard for formaldehyde.
In addition, some of the FEMA trailers delivered to Black Hawk County last summer had mold in the exterior closets, as had been the case in other Iowa counties.
FEMA officials took umbrage with the report, saying that each and every trailer passed testing before it was brought into the state. Officials said that a resident’s lifestyle — smoking, cooking, furniture from wood products and even perfumes or air fresheners — can affect a home’s air quality.
We don’t dispute that.
Unfortunately, FEMA’s past failings on similar housing needs dictate that action be taken to assure those living in trailers are safe.
After meetings in Cedar Falls, Marion and Wapello, FEMA relented and has been retesting trailers for occupants who have requested it. The agency is also paying for a motel stay during the indoor air quality testing period.
The flood victims living in temporary housing have been through enough. The health and safety of those victims should be of utmost importance. Considering FEMA’s past — in regards to temporary housing — it is a good call to err on the side of safety and retest the trailers.
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