Senate May OK Money for Katrina Cottages
This story in USA Today is really great news. As you may or may not know, under current federal law FEMA is only allowed to provide temporary housing to disaster victims. This is just a joke. And the the governors of Mississippi and Louisiana have argued that there are better alternatives to temporary trailers.
Storm victims living in cramped trailers soon may be able to move into sunny little cottages with big porches that are built to withstand wind and water.
The Senate is considering an unprecedented step: allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide inexpensive, permanent housing to Americans who have lost their homes to a natural disaster.
Next week, the Senate Appropriations Committee, headed by GOP Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, will consider adding money to President Bush’s $19 billion request aimed at helping the Gulf Coast recover from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Mississippi officials hope the panel approves funding to build 20,000 Katrina Cottages—tiny homes born of a new architectural movement that look like traditional Gulf Coast cottages.
“(Cochran) hopes to include in his bill new ways to provide comfortable, safe and efficient housing for the victims of Hurricane Katrina,” said Jenny Manley, Cochran’s press secretary.
