Senator Casey Weighs In On Idle FEMA Trailers

Plains Towsnhip, Luzerne County-- There they sit nearly 100 FEMA trailers in the parking lot of the former Sunshine Supermarket in Plains Township. They had been used by flood victims in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.Many people who have seen the trailers or heard about them are wondering why they are not being sent to victims of Hurricane Sandy. Senator Robert Casey talked with the I-Team about the situation. He said, "I want to make sure if these trailers can be used to help victims of Hurricane Sandy anywhere across the country especially in nearby New York and New Jersey that they are sent where they are needed." Casey sent a letter to FEMA Secretary earlier this week inquiring about the idle trailers. Casey added, "I know FEMA has a big task ahead of it but we learned several years ago that we must be efficient and effective getting help to the people who neeed it." Casey was referring to Katrina victims along the Gulf Coast when FEMA was heavily criticized for not responding quickly enough and wasting taxpayers dollars. A FEMA spokesperson in Washington D.C. told this reporter that no formal requests have been made by New York or New Jersey officials for these trailers or any trailers for that matter. Dan Watson of FEMA added, "We try to have rental assistance and rebuilding efforts given a chance before temporary housing is considered..unless we get a formal request. "