FEMA Trying To Quash Toxic Trailer Lawsuits

FEMA is requesting immunity from lawsuits filed on behalf of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to dangerous fumes while living in government-issued trailers.

By: Jamie Burch | WKRG
Published: July 22, 2008

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is
requesting immunity from lawsuits filed on behalf of Gulf Coast
hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to dangerous fumes
while living in government-issued trailers.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt is scheduled to hear
tomorrow (Wednesday) FEMA's request to be dismissed from a series
of consolidated cases filed against the federal government and the
companies that supplied FEMA with tens of thousands of trailers
after Katrina and then Rita in 2005.

Lawyers for Gulf Coast storm victims accuse FEMA of negligence
for sheltering them in trailers with elevated levels of
formaldehyde, a preservative used in construction materials that
can induce breathing problems and is believed to cause cancer.

In court papers, FEMA's lawyers told the judge the agency is
entitled to immunity from such claims challenging its response to
disasters such as Katrina.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)