Residents plead for action
in town hall meeting on
Chinese drywall
09:45 PM CDT on Thursday, September 17, 2009
MANDEVILLE, La. – A colossal crowd unsuccessfully tried to squeeze inside of the Mandeville City Council chambers, eager to get answers on what to do about their contaminated Chinese drywall.
The unexpected overflow painted a grim reality in the New Orleans metro area—an immense population victimized by toxic drywall.
Many, however, walked out of the meeting hopeful, while the drywall manufacturers, sellers and distributors continue to play the blame game.
"I want your e-mails. I want your contact information," Sen. Julie Quinn, R-Metairie, told the audience.
It was a massive mobilization in the wake of an unforeseen disaster.
"I have two small children at home,” said Slidell man Jaime Green. “It's just very scary."
Hundreds packed Mandeville City Hall, having only standing room in the town hall meeting.
"I knew it was going to be crowded,” said one Mandeville resident. “But I didn't think it was going to be this crowded."
As the meeting went on, more residents waited outside for an unplanned second meeting afterwards that would accommodate the overflow.
"How do we fix the problem? Who’s going to pay to fix the house?” asked Mandeville resident Charlene Hernandez. “Should we move out? We have two small children, what's in their best interest?"
At the helm of the info session was Quinn, whose previous legislation aimed at making it easier for drywall victims to recoup their damages, died on the senate floor. It would have allowed homeowners to collect attorneys fees plus 100 percent of the money needed to replace the drywall from the manufacturer, distributor or seller.
"The legislators in Baton Rouge…literally laughed me out of the capitol and said this is not a problem," said Quinn.
The senator’s words and efforts found traction Wednesday night amid an audience that has run out of options.
When Quinn asked "how many in this room have received denial letters from insurers,” nearly everyone in the council chambers raised their hands. When she then asked “has anyone had any coverage from their insurer,” not a single hand was raised.
A Florida attorney, well versed on the issue, urged those affected to file complaints with the federal government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"There's probably 40,000 [contaminated drywall cases] in the country, but we only have 1,100 filed,” said Jeremy Alters. “So if you want to start seeing governmental action at the federal level, you have to start reporting these claims.”
A health expert later spoke of the potential effects from the drywall.
"These gases can be neurotoxic in certain concentrations,” said Microbiologist Dr. Mark Rigler. “They can cause dizziness, they can cause headaches, some of them can cause more than that."
As for the good news, he added that tests have so far found relatively low traces of those components in affected homes.
It's little consolation for frustrated and tired homeowners who say they no longer have the money or the patience to go on.
"You go from a position to finally getting Katrina behind you, to having to get another mortgage and find a place to rent,” said Bill Green of Slidell. “Our whole world has been turned upside down in a matter of two months."
Who to Contact in Dealing with Contaminated Chinese Drywall
To file an official
complaint with the federal
government:
Consumer Product Safety
Commission
To get a status check
involving the multi district
litigation (MDL #2047):
U.S. District Court, Eastern
District of Virginia
To file an official
complaint with the state of
Louisiana:
Louisiana Office of the
Attorney General
1-800-351-4889
To file a complaint about
your insurance company
rejecting your claim:
Department of Insurance
Complaint Commission
(225) 342-5900
To find out about future
Louisiana town hall meetings
concerning drywall:
Senator Julie Quinn,
R-Metairie
To contact your state
senators about the problem:
Louisiana Senators
To contact your state
representatives about the
problem:
Louisiana Representatives
Brittney Reese contributed to this story.