[StBernard] Debris workers lodging extended

[Westley Annis]

Providing an extension to the timeframe for housing of the volunteers
helping with the clean-up effort is a blessing for all involved.  The
volunteer effort should, however, be limited to those unable to handle the
clean-up of their own property, not those just waiting for someone else to
do it for them!  What ever happened to personal pride and ambition? 

John Richardson

 
	-----------------------------------------------------
	Debris workers lodging extended
	FEMA to keep camps at least until June 1
	Saturday, April 08, 2006
	By Paul Purpura
	West Bank bureau
	
	Volunteers flocking to the New Orleans area to help clear storm
debris and 
	gut flooded houses will have free lodging at least through June 1,
FEMA
	announced Friday, days before the agency had planned to close its
four camps
	for relief workers.
	
	
	The sites in Algiers, Chalmette, Port Sulphur and Cameron Parish had
been 
	slated to close next week, leaving volunteer organizations traveling
to the
	region to help with post-Katrina recovery efforts scrambling for
alternate
	sites. The four camps combined house about 1,500 people, but the
number of 
	beds has varied based on need, said Elizabeth Childs, a spokeswoman
for the
	Federal Emergency Management Agency.
	
	Under FEMA contracts, firms have operated the tent cities for
months,
	initially to help emergency workers and National Guard troops in the
wake of 
	Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As first responders and troops left,
the
	lodging was opened to volunteers, from faith-based groups to college
	students on spring break. By one count, as many as 10,000 volunteers
were in 
	the area last month.
	
	"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition," Elenor Soltau, disaster
relief
	coordinator for Canal Street Presbyterian Church, said Friday upon
learning
	of the extension.
	
	The Mid-City church, which has assisted with the influx of
volunteers from
	across the nation, had three teams of 65 workers scheduled to stay
in Camp
	Algiers at Behrman Park through May, and they already paid their
return-trip 
	airfare before learning the camp would close Monday, Soltau said.
That left
	her seeking other lodging, she said.
	
	"We're thrilled for the fact that at least it gives us two more
months to
	house teams," Soltau said. "For now we can continue with plans for
the teams 
	that are coming in."
	
	Hearing murmurs of the camps' closing in recent weeks, Habitat for
Humanity
	and St. Bernard Parish officials began working on an alternate site
for 800
	workers in Arabi, as Camp Premier in Chalmette, which has housed
7,500 
	volunteers so far, was slated to close Wednesday, said Michael
Hayes, who
	has recruited volunteers for the nonprofit group.
	
	The group is still seeking a more permanent site, but the FEMA
extension
	gives them some "breathing space," he said. "We're very thankful
this is 
	happening."
	
	The camps include air conditioned tents with wooden floors that have
cots,
	dining facilities serving three meals daily, washers and dryers,
restrooms
	and showers.
	
	FEMA pays about $100 daily per person to operate the camps, not
including 
	administrative costs such as salaries for FEMA employees involved
with them,
	said Childs, the FEMA spokeswoman.
	
	FEMA said the extension will help state and parish officials find
"more
	comprehensive solutions" to help the volunteers involved with long
term 
	recovery.
	
	"Our base camp operations have been a vital support component for
workers,
	many of them volunteers, that have come to help in the recovery,"
FEMA's
	deputy director for Gulf Coast operations Gil Jamieson said. 
	
	U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, opposed the camps' closure, saying
in a
	March 29 letter to acting FEMA director David Paulison that more
than 400
	volunteer groups have helped in recovery efforts.
	
	"It would be impossible to carry out the sheer volume of recovery
needs 
	without the assistance of volunteer organizations," he wrote.