FEMA Blames Residents For Trailer Toxins

IOWA CITY, Iowa, Oct. 22, 2008(CBS/ AP) The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday questioned a CBS affiliate TV station’s findings of high formaldehyde levels in agency-issued trailers and said the lifestyles and habits of the flood victims living in the trailers may be to blame.

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More Relief Supplies Delivered to Biloxi/Chitimacha Communities

A house in Isle de Jean Charles.
A house in Isle de Jean Charles.

On October 2nd, my husband Calvin and I from Plenty International made our second relief run to Pointe Au Chenes, an area devastated by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.  Assisted by Gordon Soderberg from BioLiberty Relief, two truckloads of bleach, contractor bags, industrial paper towels, and other supplies were delivered to the Biloxi Chitimacha tribe. A generous donation by Dr. Dave Winek of Franklin, Tennessee made this critical relief mission possible.

We volunteers returned to visit the families in Pointe Au Chenes we had met during the first relief trip.  Once again we met with Teresa Dardar, a native Biloxi Chitimacha who was the neighborhood caretaker. Many families had made good progress cleaning swamp muck out of their houses, but much remained to be done.  We are planning to assist in the transition to Phase II, which involves rebuilding structures, painting, and general repair. Phase III will replace destroyed household and personal items.

Teresa introduced us to a couple named Babae and Bernice Billot.  Cleaning supplies and personal toiletries donated by the Red Cross remained stacked on a pallet in their basement. Because phone service had not been restored, it had been difficult to notify households of the arrival of the supplies.  Even after the word went out, there was no one to distribute the supplies. We were excited to have the opportunity to refill our vehicles and distribute this material to the needy families of this devastated area. Read More

A First Hand Report from flooded Pointe-aux-Chenes

 

Elaine with Ebro Verdin
Elaine with Ebro Verdin

One week following the devastation of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, my husband Calvin and I, along with our good friends Mike and Carol Stachurski of United Peace Relief took a damage assessment trip to the flooded coastal area called Pointe-aux-Chenes. Located along the southeastern coast of Louisiana in Lafourche Parish, this stretch of bayou is inhabited by a Native American/French tribe called the Biloxi-Chitimacha. We packed the vehicle with shovels, brooms, bleach, rubber gloves and masks needed to clean up the muck that always ends up coating the floors and furniture of homes that get flooded. Theresa Dardar, a Biloxi-Chitimacha living in the neighborhood became our escort for the day. Theresa and I were introduced by a mutual friend of ours, Dr. Robin Rose, who spent some months administering health care to this area following the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. As we entered this tiny coastal town (Pointe-aux Chenes), massive amounts of swamp grass could be seen in every direction, personal belongings destroyed by the floodwaters were strewn across lawns, yards were full of knee deep mud crawling with snakes making it impossible to walk on, blue tarps covered roofs to keep the rain out, downed trees demolished vehicles and houses. Every household in this area felt the effects of the double storm.

Every household we walked into had thick black mud to contend with. Until you have seen it, you will never truly understand its effects. Once the floodwaters recede, it leaves behind a black muck 2to 3 inches deep that must be hand scrubbed. The odor it leaves behind is that of the adjoining swamp. 

Ebro Verdin’s house sat back from the road. To get to it, we walked along some 4 x 4’s laying along his mud filled front yard. A large wooden cabinet lying outside had been destroyed by the floodwaters, along with piles of his belongings. Mops covered in muck lay to the side of the porch. He showed us his freezer that had not been emptied, still filled with his rotting meats and seafood. The electric power had been off for over a week. As we entered his house, we could see 2 inches of muck along the floors and cabinets. He showed us a large round hole in the middle of the living room that he had cut in order to let the water drain out.

The ceilings were intact with a beautiful wood finish. He was a carpenter by trade and he took pride in his house. He told us how he had finally just recovered his house right before Gustav and Ike came through. In spite of all this devastation, his big smile bore conveyed his positive outlook. This was life along the coast. He had wanted to raise his house on stilts after Rita but was unable to find the finances to do so. 

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