By Lea Tyrrell

Plenty of them have sat empty for years now, while sadly, a lot of the people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina still call them home.  Those now infamous FEMA trailers.  100-thousand trailers were meant to come to the rescue of Katrina survivors back in 2005.  Then came the concerns that the people living in them were getting sick because of high levels of formaldehyde coming from the materials used to construct the trailers.

FEMA Trailers For Sale

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, formaldehyde can cause watery eyes, burning of the eyes and throat, and trouble breathing in people exposed to elevated levels.  It can trigger attacks in people with asthma.  It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans.

Now comes word that some federal lawmakers and the trailer industry are suggesting the government should send thousands of those ”leftover” FEMA trailers to Haiti.   Some supporters believe they could be used to house families, while others backing the plan say the trailers should only be used as temporary shelters or emergency clinics.

Currently a government-run online auction is accepting bids for the FEMA trailers.   The auction site warns that the trailers may not have been tested for formaldehyde, and FEMA says buyers must sign an agreement not to use the auctioned trailers for housing.   Bottom line is how much formaldehyde the trailers contain – or if they still have any at all – is not known.    But a spokesman for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association claims the majority are perfectly safe, and “the handful of trailers that might have a problem” can be weeded out.

While there is no specific plan or agreement to ship the trailers to the earthquake-ravaged country, the idea is out there, and it’s being talked about and debated.  What I found to be the most interesting part of this story, though, was the responses of some of the Haitians who were asked if they would live in one of the trailers.

One woman who’s been homeless since losing her three-story house in the earthquake told an Associated Press reporter, “We have nothing.  But I would rather sleep outside than be in a metal box full of chemicals.”

But a Haitian man hoping to find shelter at a tent city near the Port-au-Prince airport saw it this way, “The trailers may be hot, and they may make us sick.  But look at how we are living already.  How bad can it be?”

That says a lot about what some  Haitians have been through.

By Lea Tyrrell

It’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch the story develop out of Haiti.  Despite all the world help that’s heading to the island nation, it looks like it’s going to get so much worse there before it gets better.

A big part of that is because of  logistics.  Whatever infrastructure was in place to begin with there

Haiti

is gone.  Everything that makes a country work in the first place has been destroyed.    The port was destroyed, the airport had to be closed for a while.  When you’re an island, that’s the only way to get things in – by boat and plane.  Add to that destroyed homes, hospitals, schools and roads and you wonder how it all can be put back together.   We can also only hope that government and other types of corruption don’t detour the money and supplies that the people so badly need.

As the Reverend Donald Havrilla from the Southampton Full Gospel Church told us, “Haiti is bad when things are good, and this is almost beyond words.” Havrilla knows Haiti well.  He and his wife have been running a mission in Haiti since 1982.  He tells me it’s about 20 miles outside of Port-au-Prince where the earthquake hit the hardest.  They have about 100 employees and 1400 kids in their school.  When I last spoke to him for Long Island Talks last Wednesday, he still hadn’t heard from anyone at the mission.  When mission members finally got in touch on Friday, he learned the sad news that one student had been killed when part of their church collapsed.

I also spoke last week to Yves Michel, Suffolk’s Commissioner of Economic Development and Workforce Housing.  Michel was born in Haiti and still has family there.  He’s one of the people coordinating Suffolk County’s relief efforts.  The county hopes to send its first shipment of supplies to Haiti within two weeks.  They’re looking for donations that can help with housing, plus personal hygiene products like washcloths, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs and other items.  The county is also working to get much needed medication to Haiti.  The Commissioner says they’ll also be collecting small stuffed animals for the Haitian children to be included with the personal hygiene products.  You can drop items off at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge, the Riverhead County Center and all 18 legislative district offices.

You can also buy a Housing Box Kit, which can shelter 10 people, for as little as $1,000.  Or a  three-month supply of medication for one person starting at a cost of $11.42.

Clearly, not everyone plans to donate.  61% of the people who responded to our Question of the Day “Do you plan to donate to relief efforts in Haiti?” said No.  But if you do want to help, there are lots of ways to do it.  Just a reminder, though, make sure it’s a legitimate organization.  While you’re here at the News 12 website, just click on Numbers & Links and you’ll find plenty of information on how to help.  My biggest hope now is that it actually gets to the people who need it.

by Lea Tyrrell

Winter has only just begun.  And we’ve really only had one heavy duty, road-covering snow so far.  But already those nasty little craters that have been waiting since last spring to erupt have reared their ugly little heads!  POTHOLES!  And, boy, did I run into a particularly nasty one on Monday.

I know how I missed it.  I took my eyes off the road for just a split-second!  No, I wasn’t dialing my cell phone or texting.  I was changing a CD.  Yes, I still listen to CDs, although this should teach me to plug in my iPod.  It was a rather noble cause, too, because I was putting in a CD of toddler music for my daughter.  Plus, it wasn’t like I was on the highway or anything.  It seemed like a relatively safe place for the music exchange.  It was the entrance ramp to the Northern State Parkway from Route 110 in Melville, and no traffic.

All of a sudden – WHAM!!!  The whole car shook  like I had just run into a boulder.  It’s a good thing my daughter wasn’t in the car yet because I shouted out some language a young child should not hear.     I knew there was no way the outcome of that loud bang was going to be good, or inexpensive!

I was right.  It wasn’t good, nor inexpensive!  The first sign was the car and steering wheel shaking, the second sign was the car pulling to the right, and the third sign was the flat tire.  That devious and deep hole shot out my front tire, cracked the rim, did a  number on my water pump, and let’s not even talk about what it did to my front end alignment.

Normally, I don’t go on pothole alert until February.  But I’m onto you already you cruel little chasms.  I’m not going to let you get me again!

Now, THAT'S a pothole! Poor guy!

By Lea Tyrrell

One of the best things about my job is getting to help people.  This time of year, and with this kind of bitter winter weather, there are plenty of Long Islanders who need help.

The topic of Long Island Talks on Tuesday night was about helping the Island’s homeless, or in this economy, the-about-to-be homeless.   We talked to several callers who needed help, or knew someone who did.

The other great thing about my job is meeting the amazing people who dedicate their lives and/or their careers to providing that help.  My guests Tuesday night were two women who have been assisting Long Islanders in need for many, many years.  Jean Kelly is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Nutrition Network or INN, and Connie Lassandro is the Director of Housing and Homeless Services for Nassau County.  Both will move heaven and earth to do whatever has to be done to help someone who needs a meal or a roof over their head.

The INN runs soup kitchens and shelters, and provides long-term and veterans housing for the hungry and the homeless.   Nassau’s Department of Housing and Homeless Services can also provide emergency housing for the homeless in shelters or hotels, but they also offer a whole host of services to help save your house from foreclosure so you don’t become homeless.

Both organizations’ staffs and volunteers are working very hard right now to make sure people and families are especially taken care of during the holidays.  But Jean and Connie tell me there are just a few more donations they could use where things are running a little short.

The INN could use pies and desserts to complete the meals they’re serving all day on Christmas.  They could also use donations of gloves, hats and scarves to keep the people they call “their guests” warm.   To find out how you can donate, call the Interfaith Nutrition Network at (516) 486-8506 or log on to their great website at www.the-inn.org.  You’ll also find out about all the services they can provide in case you or someone you know needs help.

And the shelters where the Nassau Department of Housing and Homeless Services places some of their familes could really use toys.  You can contact them at 516-752-1900.  At that number you’ll also be able to find out about all the services the department offers.

Thanks for anything you can do for these organizations either in time, money, food or clothing.  May your holidays be filled with food, warmth, love, family, and friends!

By Lea Tyrrell

I’m writing this on a Thursday, which for some people is now the last day of their work week.  Every week.  Because their employer has switched from a five day work week to a four day one.   Sounds pretty good to me if it also means there’s no cut in pay.  We all know just how fast our weekends zoom by.  I often find myself thinking “if I just had one more day” I’d get all those things done that I didn’t get to Saturday and Sunday.

Sign Of The Future?

The idea of the four-day work week has been kicked around alot during this recession.  (It also gets me thinking “hey, who came up with the idea of our now standardized five day work week in the first place?”   But that’s another discussion.)  Anyway, companies and municipalities have been thinking about closing that one extra day, usually Friday, as a way to save on overtime and energy costs.

Of course, there’s a trade off.  You still have to put in your 40 hours.  So those eight hour work days have been extended to 10 hours.  What do you think?  Could you do that?  Or would those two extra hours just feel too long?   But the truth I think is alot of people are already putting in those 10 hour work days, and still working five days a week!

So far, mostly municipalities are experimenting with the idea.  They’re trying to save their taxpayers as much as they can in these cash crunched times.   The city of El Paso, Texas tried it at the beginning of the summer.   Early numbers showed it saved them $100,000 in energy costs so they decided to extend it for the entire summer.

Now a story from the AP today that a lot of media outlets have picked up on showing that closing Utah state offices on Fridays generated an unexpected savings – in overtime!  Seems employees were so ready to leave after the longer work day they weren’t eager to stick around for any more hours.  It saved the state $4.1 million in the first year.  Utah had calculated the shorter week would save them big bucks in energy costs but that’s not how it turned out.   The state saved only 1/6th of what they thought they’d save in energy.

What do the employees think??   They seem to like it.  One survey found that 85% of the workers like working four longer days than five shorter ones.  And they’ve really grown fond of their three day weekend.

So now Utah’s new governor has to decide if he’s going to stick with the new program.  They’re going to poll public sentiment because the people of Utah did lose one day a week of government services with the switch.

Nothing like that yet in Nassau or Suffolk county government, as far as I know, although I do remember one Suffolk legislator proposing a four day work week for some county employees last year.  I don’t think we’ve heard anything more about it since then.

But Utah’s results are getting some attention.  Queens Assemblyman Michael Gianaris was quoted in one article today saying he believed switching to a four day work week would save New York State $30 million.  Everybody’s looking for a way to make the cuts needed to help with Albany’s $15 BILLION budget shortfall a little less painful.  Could shutting city, state or county agencies down one day a week help?  Or cause too much chaos??  One thought - would that make the line at the DMV even longer??