Mobile site a tad too late

Hurricane Gustav smashed into Louisiana’s coastline Sept. 1, causing damage to many parishes. Hurricane Ike followed things Sept. 13, striking Texas with a direct shot that created a storm surge that affected Louisiana all the same.

In the days and weeks following each natural disaster, there was a tremendous need for help and support.

All types of issues were encountered including food stamps, forced evacuations, looting patrols, federal assistance programs and more.

Mobile sites were set up in the aftermath and staffed with any number of local, state and federal helpers. The help was needed then because when someone has questions, face-to-face answers are necessary. It’s up to those truly affected by the hurricanes to say if the help offered following Gustav and Ike was adequate.

However, what seems a little late in arriving is U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s mobile hurricane recovery office in New Iberia, which ushered in its service to the area when Vitter himself manned the location Tuesday at the Inn of Iberia.

Vitter said his mobile office will pass through New Iberia every Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. starting Nov. 5, giving residents a chance to get assistance from Vitter’s office locally without having to go to one of his seven regional offices.

What help is needed? Consider the fact Vitter’s unit did not arrive locally until 38 days after Ike and 51 days after Gustav.

Hurricane Gustav struck almost two months ago so what can a once-a-week visit for two hours offer?

“Residents of Iberia and other nearby parishes are still regrouping from the recent storms,” Vitter told The Daily Iberian in an e-mail message this week. “This mobile office will provide a closer outlet for folks who need assistance with FEMA claims and other government casework, which as we’ve seen from Hurricane Rita can take quite a long time to resolve.”

This is all true, but isn’t that assistance already being offered?

Maybe Vitter’s mobile unit could have been more helpful had it arrived sometime in the first seven weeks after Gustav hit the Teche Area. Otherwise, this seems more political maneuvering than constituent helping.

STEPHENHEMELT

CITYEDITOR