WASHINGTON—A year overdue, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a draft disaster housing strategy Monday, which leaves it largely up to the next administration to figure out a way to avoid Hurricane Katrina-like problems that sent victims to toxic trailers. “What FEMA delivered today is a strategy without a plan,” said Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, one of FEMA’s strongest critics regarding disaster housing.

Hurricane Katrina devastated Landrieu’s state and Mississippi in 2005, displacing 1 million people and sending thousands to travel trailers which were later discovered to have high levels of formaldehyde — a preservative commonly used in building materials. Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde can lead to breathing problems and is also believed to cause cancer. Residents of FEMA-issued trailers reported frequent headaches, nosebleeds and other ailments.

According to the draft strategy, the government may house disaster victims in trailers only as a last resort, despite promises never to use them again. Only the head of FEMA can approve the use of such trailers, and they would have to meet the agency’s standard for low formaldehyde levels. Also, disaster victims could stay in the trailers for only six months. In the draft strategy, FEMA establishes a National Disaster Housing Task Force, which will be organized in the next two months. The task force will address these difficult housing issues, such as what to use on short notice instead of travel trailers. It will include eight members from state and local housing authorities, FEMA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“We go beyond the point of just kicking this down the road,” FEMA’s No. 2, Harvey Johnson, told reporters. That would be the case if FEMA didn’t establish a housing task force or if the agency had ended the draft strategy after the third chapter. But, Johnson said, the draft strategy includes a fourth chapter, entitled “Implementing the Strategy.” There is a 60-day comment period for the draft strategy, which is important because FEMA did not consult with many interested parties — including the National Emergency Management Association, the organization which represents state emergency managers, during the past two years when it was working on the strategy.

In addition, the draft strategy includes seven blank annexes which are slated to address major issues such as housing programs for special needs and low-income populations, rehabilitating rental units and a list of potential legislation needed to carry out the strategy.