FEMA promised the mobile homes coming into Iowa were safe.
They said there would be no more toxic trailers, like the ones that made so many sick on the Gulf Coast.
The results of a CBS 2 news investigation two months in the making.
CBS 2 tested those infamous homes and the results will shock you. CBS 2's Megan Terlecky investigates FEMA's trail of toxic homes and the government's "Poisoned Promises."
The poison in those promises formaldehyde. Not only did we find dangerous levels of formaldehyde in some FEMA provided homes, we also found that FEMA did not even follow its own standards for keeping victims of disasters safe
It's a KGAN CBS 2 exclusive that's got flood victims wondering what they should do now.


Using test kits from a reputable lab, we asked dozens of eastern Iowans living in FEMA trailers if we could use this test to determine what's in their air.

The big concern, formaldehyde.

What we found sent FEMA scrambling.
The state of Iowa is now asking questions.
People are questioning the roofs over their heads.
"Oh my God,” Laurie Barrick said.

Thirty percent of the homes we tested: UNSAFE.

When we tried to help those with alarming levels get in touch with FEMA, even we couldn't believe what happened.
"My heart sunk... I get a little hope... then boom."

But before they lived here, all of these people had normal lives.


Like Mark Franks, this is what's left of his first home
“It was devastating,” Franks said.

He is one of hundreds in Cedar Rapids with homes left in ruin.

“We weren't prepared at all for what was about to happen,” Nancy Perry said.

“There was no way water was going to get that high we were about 6 blocks out of the five hundred year flood plain,” Ryan Sullivan said.

“We lost everything,” Rhonda Hulds said.

Priceless memories washed away with the river's current.
“To work over 30 years and to lose what you worked a life time for it was devastating,” Perry said.

With no house to call home, FEMA stepped in with these temporary mobile homes.


“It made us feel pretty good to be able to get back to the privacy,” Larry Peyton said.

“It's not too bad it's real nice,” Franks said.

“It's been hard but I'm very thankful we have a FEMA trailer to come to,” Perry said.

But not everyone's stay has been a breath of fresh air.

“I get this cough I can't sleep at night,” Lillian Gruhn said. “The cough got worse when I moved into this trailer and then each day it gets worse and worse.”
"It's continual it just doesn't go away," Paul Gruhn said.
“My son, he's been having migraines,” Laurie Barrick said.


We have no way of knowing what exactly is causing these symptoms. We do know these symptoms are similar to those living in trailers on the gulf coast, homes with high levels of formaldehyde.
So what is formaldehyde?
--Toxic Gas
--Exposure Causes Flu-like Symptoms
--Can Cause Cancer
--Use in Many Products

It's a toxic gas that can cause flu like symptoms and over time even cancer.

Formaldehyde is found is many household items. But it's only in high concentrations where problems can occur.

The problem was so bad in those Katrina trailers... Congress held hearings.

Earl Shortly and his wife Desiree lived in one of those toxic FEMA trailers in Louisiana.
"Within four months after we moved in here she just started coughing and she would get weak," Earl Shortly said.

Desiree died last year.

"We recognize now we have an issue, and we're dealing with it the best way we can,”
FEMA Administrator, David Paulison said.

That was over a year ago FEMA assuring congress what happened with Katrina won't happen again.

FEMA says it now tests all trailers and homes for formaldehyde before they let people live in them.

They even post the results inside the trailer.

So we decided to do our own tests.

There are more than 562 FEMA mobile homes in eastern Iowa, we tested 20.

All smoke-free because cigarettes also give off formaldehyde and would throw off our tests.

We used a formaldehyde vapor monitor and enlisted the help of U of I Professor Peter Thorne.

“It's a fairly accurate method and provides an accurate precision,” UI Professor of Toxicology, Peter Thorne said.

The badge hangs in the home overnight then gets shipped off to a lab to be analyzed,

And the results are shocking.


"Oh dear God," Barrick said.

Eighteen out of the 20 CBS 2 tests showed higher levels of formaldehyde what FEMA had posted on those signs.

What’s worse; of the 20 FEMA homes we tested have what the EPA and the American Lung Association consider unsafe levels of formaldehyde.

Including Lillian and Paul’s home, “My granddaughter who lives here she's 14 she's got a cough and my son he coughs and coughs,” she said.

Laurie's home has one of the highest.

So we re-tested to make sure.

Twice, Laurie’s levels came back at levels that the EPA and the American Lung Association say can make humans sick.

"I go from one mess to getting out of another mess and then all of a sudden get this thrown at me and that, I just don't know what to do,” she said.


FEMA did warn people staying in these homes about the dangers of formaldehyde they even gave them this fact sheet talking about it, but the problem is we found some levels ten times higher than what FEMA said it was.

So we helped Laurie contact FEMA.

First we called the number on the formaldehyde fact sheet, “…you have reached FEMA formaldehyde referral line, due to the increased call volume associated with the recent hurricane this line is temporarily closed."
Then we called the main FEMA help line.

“We're sorry all of our agents are assisting other callers it may take ten minutes or more to take your call.” "Good thing there is free minutes on weekends," Laurie said.

Fifteen minutes later someone answered, and gave Laurie a number to call. This is what she heard,
"If you get disconnect call this number 1-866-562-2381.”

"That's the first number the formaldehyde number the number that's disconnected," she said.

Over at Lillian and Paul’s a FEMA’s maintenance representative says they will pass the concern on but only after questioning me and getting my name.

“We’ve got to get out of this damn trailer one way or another,” Laurie said. “That old saying keeps coming back one step forward ten steps back."Only on CBS 2: Poisoned Promises