(October 5, 2008)—Housing is a problem in Houston for many of the thousands of workers from around the country who headed to the Texas coast to help with the massive cleanup effort in the wake of Hurricane Ike.
While some workers are well-equipped veterans of past disaster cleanups who are employed by firms hired to remove debris, others are first-timers who came on their own, hoping to find any work.
Many of the workers complain that lodging in the Houston area is scarce, and say motels, hotels, established RV parks and even camping areas in state parks are full.
Troy O'Quinn, who came from Orlando, Fla., is paying $600 a month to park a small trailer in a vacant lot behind a west Houston warehouse complex that has been transformed into a makeshift RV park.
O'Quinn and three friends share a bathroom with nearly a dozen other hurricane cleanup workers from three states.
A car salesman opened the makeshift RV park in the last two weeks after he mowed a vacant lot, rented a Port-a-Potty and provided an extension cord for power.
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