FEMA Will Sell Katrina Trailers to Occupants for $1

Nearly 4 years after Hurricane Katrina hit, the federal government is bringing its assistance program for displaced victims to a close by essentially giving residents the 1,800 mobile homes it has loaned out, the Washington Post reports. Occupants can buy their units for $1 or $5, depending on the type of structure, and FEMA plans to donate as many as 700 more units from its inventory.

The Obama administration will also offer $50 million in rental vouchers to trailer occupants who meet income qualifications and move into specified housing projects, and will take over for the state of Louisiana in helping victims find permanent housing. Some residents of the temporary structures are holding out for grants to rebuild their own homes, however, and do not want to leave their land or move into public housing.
(More Hurricane Katrina stories.)