What are your experiences with FEMA trailers?

California Watch Beacon Beacon

In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, almost 120,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers were deployed to displaced Gulf Coast residents. Trailer inhabitants reported health problems and suspected the high formaldehyde content of the trailers' particleboard walls as the cause. These trailers are now being resold on the open market. The Lens, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford, the Miami Herald, St. Louis Beacon, and California Watch, is interested in the experiences of living in these trailers, the housing market for these trailers and the places that they end up. Have you seen, heard about, sold, or lived in a FEMA trailer? Please tell us your story.

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Have you seen FEMA trailers for sale in your area? Please tell us when and where.

Did you live in a trailer after the hurricane season of 2005, or any other natural disaster since then? Please tell us about your health quality while living in the trailer, where the trailer was located, and how long you lived in the trailer.

If you own or owned a trailer, please type the VIN or HUD number here. We can tell you whether the trailer or mobile home you recently bought is a FEMA trailer or if you lived in a FEMA trailer after Katrina or Rita we can tell you where your trailer has been resold.

Our partners at the University of Oxford are able to offer free formaldehyde test kits for those that currently live in FEMA trailers. Would you would like to be contacted with more information about these free tests?

Yes

Have you bought a FEMA trailer? If you bought a FEMA trailer, please include how you heard about the sale and why you decided to buy the trailer.

Did you work for FEMA in trailer distribution or for a trailer manufacturer? Please share your experiences with us.

To what degree are formaldehyde or mold intrusion an issue for FEMA trailer residents? Please explain.

Do you have any photos of your life in the trailers or of trailers being resold in your area? Please upload them here and give your name as the title. (No larger than 1MB, please!)

May we publish your insights and attribute them to you? Remember, we'll never quote you without contacting you for your explicit consent, and your comments may be edited for length or clarity.

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