News Roundup

Race Issues Slows Down Louisiana Katrina Recovery

Bayou Buzz
by John Maginnis

Of the many angels to emerge from the post-hurricane rescue and recovery efforts, none has flown higher than Frank Stronach. He´s a billionaire Canadian auto parts manufacturer with no links to Louisiana other than the vision and compassion that moved him to a major act of philantrophy.

First he took in over 100 evacuees at a racetrack he owns in Florida. Then, thinking big and long-term, he began developing a mobile home park in Simmesport, in Avoyelles Parish, for 120 displaced families to live for up to five years.

He purchased the land and housing units and has readied the first two dozen homes, complete with front and back porches. Most of the occupants of the community nicknamed “Canadaville” will be 92 evacuees now living in an ag school dormitory in Bunkie.

Stronach also has broached the idea of locating a small manufacturing facility nearby for his company, Magna Corp. Given the promises he has already delivered on, nobody is discounting his job creation offer as empty.

Indeed, folks around Simmesport, who, like in many other places, might object to a trailer park for New Orleans refugees in their midst, are so bowled over by Stronach´s generosity that they have muted their concerns.

Oh, Canadaville, would that your spirit find its way into the hearts of more Louisiana communities. Yet, sadly, when it comes to locating temporary homes for hurricane victims in many parts of the state, the spirit expressed has been NIMBY—Not in My Backyard.

As soon as FEMA began locating sites for trailer parks across Louisiana, angry residents began storming parish council and police jury meetings in protest. Given that zoning issues are among the most contentious for local governments in normal times, the furor over large-scale developments for mostly poor people have public officials ducking for cover, often backing off tentative agreements for sites.

Some parishes stepped up to the challenge, like East Baton Rouge, which made available a large tract of land in Baker for over 500 trailers. Others, from Livingston to Lafayette, refused to approve even most-sized developments.

Citing his concern for maintaining housing standards in Lafayette, City-Parish President Joey Durel said flatly, “We don´t want them.”

Even when the mayor and town council in St. Gabriel welcomed a large-scale development, the Iberville Parish Council, relying on a governor´s executive order, blocked them.

Unfortunately, the NIMBY attitude toward housing New Orleans residents does not soften the closer they get to New Orleans´ backyard.

At a crowded public meeting in Marrero, a planned 190-unit site drew hostile reaction from residents, includiing a young woman who said she had no objection to taking in homeless Jeffersonians—“but, outsiders, no.” Given that most Jeffersonians are white and those outsiders—from way across the river—are African-American, one can catch her drift. In case anyone missed it, another audience member called out, “How do we know these people are not from the projects of Orleans?”

Ideally, FEMA planners and displaced Orleanians would prefer temporary quarters in the city itself, closer to families, jobs and neighborhoods they hope to re-occupy. But outside of one large Habitat for Humanity project being discussed for City Park, there are few workable sites in the densely developed city.

And when housing space is found, NIMBY is often at the door. The city administration halted construction on a 44-trailer site in a public park in the Lower Garden District when neighbors complained of the loss of green space. One suspects that green is not the color they are worried about.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on what could become yet another post-storm disaster. As FEMA struggles to locate trailer sites at a rate of about 400 per day, it has announced it will stop paying for the hotel rooms of 46,000 displaced families in 10 states on Jan. 7.

Where do they go then, with so many open spaces here closed to them?

One only hopes that Mr. Stronach or other “outsiders” looking to help or invest in Louisiana are not following this sad, ugly little saga too closely.