Katrina evacuees trapped in trailers. Why are people still living in FEMA trailers 2 years after?

Question

Pamela Lomis and her two children feel abandoned. Lomis lives in a FEMA trailer in the Sugar Hill trailer park in the midst of cane fields near Convent, La., about midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

It's 20 miles from the nearest grocery store. A single bus leaves each morning at 9 a.m. and returns at 4 p.m., Lomis' life line to a world that seems distant.

"We just sit around here with life slipping by," Lomis said. "We're just on hold. Just waiting for something that never comes," she said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_on_re_us/trapped_in_trailers

Answer 1

I just read the story too. These are lazy people who want the world delivered to their doorstep so they don't have to make an effort. True, many are disabled and poor so they have limited means of housing and transportation, but many could help themselves way more than they are. Many evacuees were rescued from their flooded homes and then complained that the bottled water offered them wasn't cold. They went to the shelters and lived like pigs, complained about the food offered them, demanded beer, cokes, pizza, etc., and were not grateful for the free stuff they did get. There are some real animals down there. They said "we need help" in the form of people to come help them, when there was a shelter full of people who could have done something. Instead they wanted to wait to be served. There is a culture amongst some groups that includes an entitlement attitude. There was one job fair held for hundreds of jobs opening up, and like 4 people attended. I have seen the FEMA trailers in N.O. and I can't fathom living in one of those little one-room things for over 2 years. Some do because labor help is sometimes controlled by the government, or their insurance company bailed on them and they don't have much money to rebuild. Or they're just lazy. Just because N.O. doesn't have low income housing available yet doesn't mean no other city in the country doesn't either. Too many people don't want to help themselves to betterment.

Answer 2

So who says she cant get off of her butt and do something for herself. Thats the problem with people today. They want someone to do all of the work for them. There is a lot of reclamation work going on in a city that is doomed to sink beneath the waves. Ask any geologist and they will tell you that new orleans is on a subsicence zone and has no future. We should have just written it off and assisted the residents in moving to new locations. Instead we are stuck reconditioning a studabaker. New Orleans is a bad investment, but despite that fact, those people need to take a little responsibility for their own future. Those FEMA trailers were temporary housing. She needs to go look for an apartment and a job and move out if she feels that free housing is that inconvinient.

Answer 3

they live 20 miles from town, okay, they have to know someone with a car that would give them a ride to work for a small price. when they come home, they can hitch a ride with a co-worker. most of these people are making excuses because they're waiting for someone to do the hard work for them. they want to get into a van and be carried to their new appartment thats a couple of blocks from a job or a post office where they get their welfare check. when katrina hit, people were standing around cursing the government because they didnt come get them. instead of cursing and stealing, why didnt they start walking, preferably before the hurricane hit? because their lazy welfare bums! Theres something about New Orleans that breeds people like that. you didnt see people in mississippi and alabama carrying on like they did in New Orleans. Why are they even bothering to rebuild that city?

Answer 4

"Trapped in trailers?"

It's very hard to help people who have no understanding of what it means to help themselves, or save themselves.

The whole situation is disgusting, in all directions.

It's not just the federal government for helping create this sense of dependency and entitlement.

It's the ghetto. It's the education system. It's New Orleans - "The Big Easy." It's Louisiana.

It's the people who put up with this for so long without trying to make something better for their community or for themselves or their families.

Yes, it has been 2 years. How long do they get to live on the government biscuit?

Answer 5

area of it incredibly is the goverment doesnt care. That replaced into obtrusive whilst Katrina first struck down there. the different difficulty is that like some human beings pronounced, an outstanding style of the human beings dont decide for to help themselves. I went down for the duration of my iciness ruin final 3 hundred and sixty 5 days and an outstanding style of the paintings replaced into being finished via the volunteers. That old entitlement mentality that likes to roar its gruesome head those days. Dont get me incorrect an outstanding style of the human beings have been very grateful yet people who weren't caught out like a bounce thumb. i think of the two aspects could step up.

Answer 6

because they choose to live there instead of trying to fix what was partially lost. you cant expect the govt. to hold your hand every step of the way. and besides, with the way everyone barks at the govt. why would the govt. want to help. the people need to do something themselves for once, and not rely on the govt. that the majority seems to insult all the time. they need to get together with others and go fix and repair what was damaged, and if their to lazy for that, then they can wait until the govt. has time to hold their hands.

Answer 7

This isn't my problem. I'm sorry but they have a very irresponsible local and state goverment whom they voted back in and they are the ones who should be taking care of them! I up here in WI took care of a whole bunch of them with my taxes so I've done my share of help! The rest of the country manages to deal with their disasters w/o all the whining and complaining and actually manages to get things taken care of. Maybe they should take lessons!

Answer 8

The key words from her are "..waiting for something that never comes."

This is the problem with some people. They feel it is up to the government to take care of them.

The federal government should never be looked at as the sole provider for your living. I feel bad that they let themselves get in this predicament, but it shouldn't fall on myself and other taxpayers to bail out people for their choices.

Answer 9

Pack up her kids and leave, that would be a good start, or is she still waiting for the government to bring some more hand outs. It is time, to move on, or get their mayor and governor off their butts, and stop blaming the US for not being there every day to spoon feed them..

Answer 10

because they can. because the system breeds social parasites and reward them for their laziness, and frankly exempt any sense of decency and responsibility on their part. It is always society's fault. Empathy becomes mandatory, charity becomes mandatory, they feel entitled for no apparent reason.