On 2 Biloxi Streets, Tenants Made Refugees by Storm Face...Eviction

[Rose Siding]

snip>
"Be advised," they said, "that with great sadness we must advise each tenant that they must begin to remove their belongings, furniture and other personal items and be out of the houses by the end of the month."

The eviction notices were sent by Jordan Development, the small business that owns most of the 40 or so houses on Holley Street and Lilly Lane. Its letter said it was acting on directions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance inspectors. Because of the flood, it said, "harmful toxic mold will be growing in the walls, under the house, the attic and other places not visible to the eye."

But Eugene Brezany, a spokesman for FEMA in Mississippi, said the agency had not issued any eviction order and in fact had no authority to do so. "That's a local jurisdiction," Mr. Brezany said.

Accounts like his feed concerns that the land, which lies a few blocks from the waterfront, is wanted for something other than inexpensive rentals. Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi N.A.A.C.P., said that while he did not know the specifics involving Holley Street and Lilly Lane, he had heard of similar evictions......
...
Ms. Jordan's current tenants pay rent of $75 to $225 a month. She said she did not yet have plans to redevelop the land, though Kenny Langlinais, who manages her properties, said he hoped to build new homes that would rent for $500.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/15/national/nationalspecial/15evict.html


Sharon Lett with her daughter and
3-year-old grandson. Where would
Ms. Lett go if forced from her home?
"I have no earthful idea," she said.

[Pirate Smile]

1. Here is an article from The Times-Picayune:

"Housing shortage forces state to reconsider eviction order

By Robert Travis Scott
and Greg Thomas
Staff writers

Landlords in the New Orleans area say they have thousands of apartments that could be rented to meet the crying need for housing in the region, but executive orders by Gov. Kathleen Blanco are preventing them from taking the legal steps to free up the space.

The problem has become a hot-button issue in the business community, which is groping for housing options for employees and families willing to move back into the area and restart the economy.

Several apartment managers say they have waiting lists of hundreds of people seeking a place to live.

-snip-
Blanco later extended the order until Oct. 25. Meanwhile, many tenants who fled the New Orelans area have not returned or contacted their landlords. Rental managers have been unable even to begin the legal remedy of the eviction process, in which tenants and landlords would be permitted to present their cases. Apartment managers who want to repair damaged properties have in some cases been legally hamstrung and unable to move out people's possessions or take control for the rehabilitation.

"The governor may have intended well at the time this order was issued," Rouse said. But now, weeks later, "this order is doing greater harm to Louisiana citizens here now looking for housing . . . and to housing providers trying to provide it."

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_10_14.html#087414

[Rose Siding]

2. So they can't evict renters who haven't returned....

but the ones who have are out of luck. Perfect :(

[Pirate Smile]

3. The entire situation just sucks. Here is the last two paragraphs

that actually mentions the tenants.

"James Garner, a New Orleans real estate lawyer, said that while the governor's executive order may seem onerous to landlords, he "believes the intentions of the governor were good. In some situations the order was necessary. But like most things in life, it's impossible to promulgate one large rule that envisions every circumstance."

But Semmes Favrot, a private practice lawyer representing Favrot and Shane, said that while he has sympathy for the plight of evacuated tenants, he also said that six weeks after the storm would be ample time for the tenant to contact the landlord and state their intentions of returning or not."