Scrap or not? Dangerous or not?

The Associated Press reports that FEMA, through the GSA, is selling 10,000 of their fabled trailers as scrap.

But, is it really scrap if they are intact, and could be occupied?

As Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) wrote to the FEMA administrator yesterday:   "I am deeply concerned about the well-being of those individuals who may unwittingly come to reside in these potentially contaminated trailers."

Mixed signals are also coming from the two agencies.

According to FEMA:  "Because of formaldehyde, FEMA strongly recommends that the travel trailers not be used for occupancy, that is, for either short- or long-term housing. However, these travel trailers could be used for office space, command posts, storage, etc."

According to GSA:  "Sold For Scrap Only/Not To Be Occupied."

It seems to me that the trailers should be tested for formaldehyde, and if they still show high levels—which is quite unlikely unless they have never been allowed to air out—then they should be broken down into unusable units. Otherwise, they should be deployed to those who need them.

One thing is certain, though. FEMA is in dire need of some leadership talent, along with some formaldehyde monitoring equipment!