What about these trailers Guest rants about?
The Times-Picayune reports that a home owner threatens to drag the trailer FEMA dumped on his property into the street. Why?
Two months after a federal contractor dumped the trailer on his front lawn, no power has been supplied. If he could get power, he could spend more time repairing his house.
1. A FEMA contractor must erect a temporary utility pole, wire it to the trailer and to neighborhood power lines. Can take months.
2. The utility (Entergy) is bankrupt. It can't hire more employees or get more equipment.
3. Even if the damaged house has been re-connected to power, wiring can't be extended to the trailer without the FEMA pole and establishing a new contract with Entergy. A permit is needed, and fees are $45 plus a deposit to the Parish ($75 in Tammany Parish). Customers of Ciesco pay $150 deposit in the Parish. (Fees depend upon Parish (NOT CITY) schedules). A slumgullion of a mixture of State, Parish and City regulations and safety requirements that must be satisfied.
Hook-ups must be pre-inspected or the customer is liable to fines and power cut-off.
Permits are backed-up because of the lack of inspectors.
4. Failure of FEMA to give instructions and information on a multi-step process to homeowners.
http://www/nola.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-4/1137222192280310.xml
Sat. Jan. 14, 2006.