When Does the Gulf Coast Recovery Start?

Things only seem to be getting worse.

I just received this email update from the KatrinaRitaVille Express:

House republicans moved today to pre-empt lawsuits against manufacturers of FEMA trailers, while whistleblowers from one supplier speak candidly about the dishonest government and company practices they were involved in.

Meanwhile, FEMA and local officials in coastal AL, MS and LA press on with evictions and other efforts to effectively shift the liability for any future health problems stemming from formaldehyde to trailer occupants themselves. New Orleans residents are now being fined $500 a day for remaining in FEMA trailers (on their own property) beyond July 1 - even though city and federal officials both know there is nowhere for them to go. Last month, 49 year old Eric Minshew, a mentally ill Katrina survivor in Lakeview, was killed by police after refusing to relinquish the FEMA trailer in his front yard - the only shelter he had. With occupancy down to 15,000 families (from 60,000 in January), it seems clear that one of the largest mass poisonings in US history is swiftly being remedied by one of our largest mass evictions.

The KatrinaRitaVille Express national FEMA Trailer Tour is headed to Denver, Saint Paul and down the Mississippi River this August and September. Please get involved. Stay posted.