FEMA to offer buyback of Katrina trailers

WASHINGTON , Aug. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. officials plan to buy back trailers sold to people uprooted by Hurricane Katrina due to concerns about the chemical formaldehyde.

An internal memo from the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the offer would be made to buyers who purchased their trailer homes within the last 12 months, the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.

The move comes after a congressional hearing in July at which it was revealed that FEMA officials discounted concerns about the chemical. Formaldehyde is used in carpeting and construction glue and is considered capable of causing a variety of ailments at high levels.

FEMA provided about 120,000 trailers after Katrina and gave the occupants the chance to purchase them outright after a certain period of time.