New Orleans has already seen one FEMA trailer deadline, and now many are gearing up for a second.  But just how realistic is it for the city to part with all of its trailers by October? 

Come September 30, the city will begin reinforcing an ordinance banning travel trailers in council districts D and E, which include New Orleans East and Gentilly.  The rest of the parish had to meet the same kind of deadline back on July 1.

John Noll is a FEMA trailer resident who believes making the city trailer deadline will take a lot of wishful thinking.  "I don't think it's realistic." 

Noll has spent much of the last three years waiting---he waited for the seven feet of water in his home to recede after Katrina.  Up until last month, he was waiting on his Road Home check. 

Now, he's still waiting on his contractor.  "I was delayed so much in getting Road Home finalized that he had to take another assignment he contracted before, and he won't be ready until possibly well into September."  Noll is one of about 1,200 FEMA trailer residents who has received approval from the city to extend his stay in a trailer. 

New Orleans Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis says all residents who have requested a deadline extension have received one.  "This is about working with families who have gone through such devastation, but putting forth a timeline."  As a result of the high number of extensions, however, Willard-Lewis says it's unclear whether the city will be able to meet its next trailer deadline.  "It's a Herculean task."

On June 30, the day before the parish issued its first deadline, there were 4,107 trailers in the parish.  As of July 31, there were 3,335 trailers--that's down from a peak of 18,565 in September 2006.

"We don't want anyone to have to give up a trailer before they're ready, but it is good to see a deadline," said Lisa Stafford, President of the Lake Bullard Home Owner's Association in New Orleans East.  Stafford says her community has welcomed the steady decline of trailers.  "To see the trailers go away is just the sign is we're getting closer to normal."

Willard-Lewis says residents needing more time with their trailer can still contact the city's department of safety and permits for an extension, regardless of what district they live in.  Otherwise, FEMA residents could face hundreds of dollars in fines, or even up to six months in jail. 

You can also contact FEMA's trailer hotline for more housing help at 1-888-294-2822.