Editorial: Deadlines unfair to evacuees

Friday, Nov. 25, 2005 | 8:46 a.m.

Many Gulf Coast families left homeless by hurricanes Katrina and Rita needed immediate, federally subsidized shelter. With no time for the government or the displaced families to survey other states for availability of rental homes and apartments, and no time to negotiate lease agreements, tens of thousands of evacuees ended up in hotel and motel rooms.

Nevada is among 10 states where most of the evacuees landed. There are still about 730 families in hotel and motel rooms here, and another 46,000 families are sharing rooms in the other nine states. We agree with the Federal Emergency Management Agency that such housing, the most expensive on the market, is not feasible for the long term.

We were dismayed, however, when FEMA last week announced it would stop paying the room subsidies on Dec. 1 for all evacuees except those who found rooms in Louisiana and Mississippi, where housing is almost nonexistent because of the hurricane damage. For those evacuees, the deadline was Jan. 7. The agency reasoned that the deadlines would force the evacuees to rush out and find apartments, trailers or homes that would be less expensive to subsidize. The evacuees received an initial three-month subsidy, and are eligible for another 18 months of subsidies based on need.

For most of the families, returning to their homes and jobs on a permanent basis is not an option. Their storm-ravaged cities and towns are still in the debris-clearing stage, with rebuilding a long ways off. And finding alternative housing in their new surroundings, with housing markets tight everywhere, can take months.

After Congress, and cities and states where the victims are from, complained loudly about FEMA's announcement, the agency set new deadlines: Jan. 7 for everyone within the 10 states, and Dec. 15 for all victims still living in hotel rooms in other states. FEMA also announced another deadline: Dec. 15 for officials in the 10 states to submit plans for how they will help the displaced families find alternative housing.

We believe the displaced families should not be so rushed simply because FEMA didn't have a coherent evacuation plan. The families, with state help, should be phased into different housing, but the process should be over the next several months, not weeks.