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Home Front: Politix
FEMA: Same key could open many [post-Katrina] trailers
2006-08-15
FEMA will replace locks on as many as 118,000 trailers used by Gulf Coast hurricane victims after discovering that the same key could open multiple mobile homes, the agency said Monday. Some keys could open as many as 50 different locks — causing a security risk in heavily populated trailer parks in Louisiana and Mississippi. "We're aggressively stepping out to minimize the risk," said Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Pat Philbin. He said FEMA worked though the weekend after discovering the problem last Friday at a Baton Rouge, La., trailer park that has hurricane victims. It is unknown how many trailers will need to have their locks replaced, Philbin said.

In all, FEMA has issued about 150,000 travel trailers and mobile homes to evacuees since hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into the Gulf Coast last year. But about 32,000 have been taken out of service, Philbin said. The snafu stems from a limited number of lock makers — three — that trailer manufacturers use when building mobile homes, FEMA officials said. That increases the likelihood of locks being the same, they said. FEMA bought 13 different kinds of travel trailers for hurricane evacuees, the officials said.
Posted by:Seafarious

#13  Please send donations for beer money so I may compensate my test subjects properly.
Posted by: kilowattkid 2006-08-15 18:18


Whahahahahahaaa
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-08-15 19:01  

#12  "What was preventing the recipients from going to the local Wal-Mart / Home Depot and actually BUYING THEIR OWN LOCK and installing it?"

It's against the FEMA rules.
Posted by: Glenmore   2006-08-15 18:51  

#11  Thanks TW. By the way, I enjoyed the party last night :)
Posted by: kilowattkid   2006-08-15 18:41  

#10  See? I knew you would have personal experience to contribute, kilowattkid! :-D
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-08-15 18:36  

#9  Most RV's have a 2 lock system on the door. The top lock is the same tumbler as used on the storage access compartments and are pretty universal. The lower lock is keyed different but the key may also unlock the top lock. I have used my key on a friends camper to unlock the top, but could not undo the bottom. I think that it may be possible that there is more to this than being reported. I am going camping this weekend and will investigate this further. Please send donations for beer money so I may compensate my test subjects properly.
Posted by: kilowattkid   2006-08-15 18:18  

#8  The reason given for the lock problem seems weird. Auto makers make millions of vehicles and the vehicles don't have the same lock and key.In fact, I suggest there must be another reason. But I can't figure it out yet.
Posted by: Eye-On-The-Ball   2006-08-15 17:43  

#7  Changed ALL the locks tomorrow and throw away the keys.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-08-15 14:44  

#6  So what was preventing the recipients from going to the local Wal-Mart / Home Depot and actually BUYING THEIR OWN LOCK and installing it? Oh wait a minute; these are the same people that waited for the rest of the country to come in and wipe their arse because they were too stupid to MOVE when the storm was coming. All the smart ones left.
Posted by: USN, ret.   2006-08-15 14:42  

#5  "TONS of redtape/paperwork between FEMA, Insurance companies and homeowners as to who'll foot the bill."

You forgot the SBA - Disaster Assistance Office. Now there is some paperwork. Background: SBA-DAO is the Small Business Administration, they administer the U.S. Gubmint's Disaster Relief Loan program.

It's about as screwed up as a Federal Agency can be.

-M
Posted by: Manolo   2006-08-15 11:22  

#4  lol, Glenmore. What a story. On a serious note, I'd imagine that these trailers in Mississippi would be safe and sound (a lot of "self-protecting" homeowners in that area). It would be N.O./Louisiana "FEMA-ville's" that I'd be worried about.

Interesting note: EPA (I work for) cleaned up over 40,000 pounds of ammo in the aftermath of Katrina (most probably waterlogged/unusable). When our Admin. (from D.C.) came down to ATL to visit, he asked, "40,000 pounds is twice as much ammo as was used in the Battle of Gettysburg. Just exactly what are you all doing down in Mississippi?" I thought all of us "good ole' boys" would fall out of our chairs, lol.

And, GU4544, these people have a lot of stuff now. FEMA has provided $2,000/person, remember. Also, there were literally TONS of donations (food, water, clothing, tools, etc.) sent down there in Mississippi alone. These people are well covered. Granted, they don't have as much as they did, but they're doing o.k. now. There will be trailers down there for years (I've heard there are still several trailer parks, courtesy of FEMA) in Florida from the 2004 season. Katrina was a lot worse, and according to my buddies here, only 1 home near the water in Mississippi has even been started to be rebuilt (as of his trip 3 weeks ago). TONS of redtape/paperwork between FEMA, Insurance companies and homeowners as to who'll foot the bill.
Posted by: BA   2006-08-15 11:08  

#3  It really doesn't matter whether the key opens hundreds of FEMA trailers since FEMA seems to have a hard time even giving the keys out. Trailers sit unoccupied for months waiting on bureaucracy after taking months to be installed in the first place. It takes equally long to get them removed, and sometimes the home repairs are completed before the keys for the interim trailer houses are ever given out.
Not to mention - you hardly need a key if you want to break into these places - a friend lived in one and somebody lit it on fire; he got out straight through the wall, bare-ass nekkid.
Posted by: Glenmore   2006-08-15 10:38  

#2  Hmmm...if you lost everything in Katrina, what would be there to steal that wouldn't be in any other trailer?

You know back in the bad old days of real captial punishment, when police applied some injustice to people, and prison wasn't for 'reform', I recall my family didn't lock the door or windows on the house. Since we've been spending decades to reach perfection in the legal system, I've notice that it is more and more of the good people who are basically locked up every night and are unable to even travel through parts of their own city or locale. Progress.
Posted by: Grick Unosing4544   2006-08-15 10:32  

#1  In about 10 more years the water heaters will need replacing too. The roofs should be good for 15-20. Home ownership is a bitch.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-08-15 03:42  

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