Probably due to publicity, FEMA has announced that it will give refunds to people who purchased FEMA trailers after initially using them after Hurricane Katrina.
The federal government began selling the trailers in 2006 but suspended sales last year after reports about formaldehyde surfaced. The Katrina Express has been hauling a FEMA trailer with a vegetable oil-powered truck to publicize not only the formaldehyde but the fact that many Mississippi residents are still living in trailers more than 2 years after Katrina struck. While casinos and resorts are being built along the coast, people are still waiting for the promised money to rebuild their homes.
Once buyers receive a letter from the government, they have 60 days to request a refund. As the Katrina Express has publicized, though, will these people have a place to live if they get a refund on their FEMA trailer? It appears that in some areas, for some people, getting a refund is not an option.
Of the 10,839 trailers that were sold, only 864 were sold directly to hurricane victims. It sounds like the other purchasers are out of luck.
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