Like this hasn't been on the horizon for a long long time

Remember Katrina - the CAT3 hurricane that emphasized the poor government of New Orleans and Louisiana, the ineptness of the American Red Cross and FEMA and the culture of corruption that allowed moneys earmarked for levy upgrades to be used for dredging shipping channels (more money in shipping). Well, one of FEMA's solutions was to import thousands of trailers and set them up for people to live in until such time as they could find permanent housing. These were rented by FEMA and the program had a specific lifespan. That time is coming near and some people still haven't gotten the clue... From Yahoo/AP:

FEMA to close post-Katrina trailer parks
Dozens of Hurricane Katrina victims still living in FEMA trailer parks will have to find new housing by Friday, as the agency works to shutter the temporary facilities it set up after the 2005 storm.

The move is intended to help the hurricane victims move into more stable, permanent housing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said. But advocates worry that a housing shortage in the still-recovering area could leave some struggling to find a place to live.

It wasn't clear how many residents remained in the parks � as many as 13 � slated for closure Friday, though Ronnie Simpson, a FEMA spokesman, estimated there were dozens. Residents were given at least 60 days' notice, and FEMA is offering rental assistance to those living in the trailers, he said.

"People act like we're doing a disservice for moving people from a little trailer to an apartment or a house," he said Thursday. "I'm not sure that anyone really thought of these trailers as being their permanent home; I hope not. They were meant for temporary housing."

FEMA plans to close all its trailer sites set up specifically for residents affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita within the next six months and end leases within existing commercial trailer parks for other hurricane victims in the state by late 2008. The next wave of closures is set for New Year's Eve.

More than 6,400 households will be affected, FEMA says. The areas slated for closure Friday are mostly in the New Orleans area.

Davida Finger, a staff attorney with the Loyola University New Orleans Law Clinic who handles hurricane-related cases, said she was "deeply concerned," particularly when considering the current housing shortage. Katrina severely damaged or destroyed much of the housing stock in New Orleans, and affordable rents have been a big concern for residents and housing advocates, though prices have eased somewhat.

Emphasis mine... The other parks around the Gulf of Mexico have emptied out and been closed without a peep a year or two ago. People there shrugged, cleaned up, rebuilt and got on with their lives. What is so 'special' about New Orleans that gives it that air of self-indulgence. It's almost as if the very thought of self-reliance was beneath their contempt.