The Process of Locating Temporary Housing for Katrina Refugees Drags On

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBJ3KHWYDE.html

VACHERIE, La. (AP) - Beefy arms crossed, knees bouncing impatiently, Don Schwab held his tongue as a FEMA official schooled a roomful of local officials in the basics of her agency. Finally, unable to sit still any longer, he cut her off.

"Is there anybody," the Terrebonne Parish president pleaded for the third time as his counterparts nodded in agreement, "who can shed some light as to how many evacuees are going to be relocated, where the trailers are going to go and in what parishes?"

For now, the answer remains no. That the question is still being asked nearly a month after Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast reflects the difficulty the Federal Emergency Management Agency faces in winning support and executing plans for temporary housing.

The agency's proposal to place some refugees in mini-cities of 2,000 to 25,000 mobile homes has come under intense fire from local officials who say they fear their schools, hospitals and police could be overwhelmed by sprawling trailer parks.