Katrina Cottage II: Headed to Congress
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04. 7.06
The Katrina Cottage (which we first covered here) is back in the news. When we saw it last, it was a nice alternative to FEMA trailers, an example of "design that makes a difference" according to the architect, Marianne Cusato, but hadn't been put to use. We like the Cottage because they're cheaper and safer than a FEMA trailer, and are also more permanent; additions can be built, turning the cottage into a home. Herein lies the difficulty, though: under federal law, FEMA cannot spend money on "permanent" housing. Governors of both Mississippi and Louisiana as well as members of the Louisiana Recovery Association are lobbying hard for the Cottage as a better option (and considering residents of South Florida are still occupying FEMA trailers more than 13 years following Hurricane Andrew, they may be right). In the face of this, the Senate is considering an unprecedented step.
Next week, the Senate Appropriations Committee, headed by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), will consider adding money to President Bush's $19 billion request aimed at helping the Gulf Coast recover from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Mississippi officials hope the panel approves funding to build 20,000 Katrina Cottages. Architect Cusato has her fingers crossed: she's designed Katrina Cottage II, a larger version that, like the original, is designed with the Creole cottage-look one might find in the Gulf Coast region. Notably, the cottages don't contain any sheetrock, allowing homes to "get wet" (as in, flood) without having to gut the interiors because of dangerous mold; they can simply dry out and keep right on living. ::Katrina Cottage via ::Inhabitat and ::The Times Picayune
So what material is used for the interior walls?
I went to the site, but I didn't find anything about this, just site plans.
The interior is paneled in cement board, similar in composition to the cement board siding on the exterior.
The Senate Appropriations Committee this week added money for a Katrina Cottage pilot program to their version of H.R. 4939. (Committee press release here. The bill is now scheduled for debate when the full Senate meets again in late April. You can track its progress here.
Now's the time to write to your Senators and Congressperson urging them to keep this funding in the bill. (It's not in the House version, which passed in March.)
Furthermore, the Stafford Act, which sets out FEMA's role in providing emergency housing assistance, does not define permanent housing. AND it states that the President is authorized to decide what sort of housing aid is appropriate following a particular disaster. More on those issues here.
Guys, there are other options available than this one and I might add alot cheaper than 200 per sq ft.
All materials used in the structure are mold resistant, light gauge steel, exterior cladding is steel, no matenence and above all else it can be brought in panelized and then removed, stored for future use.
Harold