The town hall meeting to address toxic Chinese drywall issues turned into a double feature Wednesday, as hundreds of homeowners jammed Mandeville City Hall to hear about possible solutions to the problem.

State Sens. Julie Quinn and A.G. Crowe were forced to present the meeting a second time that same evening to accommodate the overflow crowd. The audience was comprised not only of St. Tammany residents, but those from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes as well, indicating how widespread the problem is.

Quinn authored legislation earlier this year that would have helped victims recover damages, but the bill died on the Senate floor. Late in the session another bill, authored by Sen. Cheryl Gray-Evans, enabled about $5 million in recovery funds to be allocated for tainted drywall assistance, but the money is restricted to previous Road Home recipients. “That’s both good and bad,” said Quinn. “If there are 4,000 homes in Louisiana that have tainted drywall, $5 million doesn’t really make a dent.”

Over the summer Crowe worked with Louisiana Recovery Authority Executive Director Paul Rainwater, who negotiated with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to loosen those restrictions and will most likely allocate another $20 million to address the issue.

Part of the problem is that many homeowners are facing issues eerily reminiscent of those faced after Hurricane Katrina. When Quinn asked if anyone had been denied coverage from his or her insurance company dozens of hands shot up. Conversely, when she asked who had received compensation, no hands could be seen.

Florida attorney Jeremy Alters, who has viewed some 800 homes affected by toxic drywall, encouraged residents to file a complaint with the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

“It is absolutely critical to report the issue,” said Alters. “As of today, there have been only 1,162 complaints filed, yet there are at least 40,000 cases in the country that haven’t been reported. The more numbers we have, the faster this will move.”

Alters also urged residents not to remove the defective product, because a protocol has not yet been set up on how to remediate the problem, as well as how to preserve the material for litigation. However, the protocol is expected to be in place as early as today.

Parish Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core offered a small glimmer of hope for St. Tammany residents, saying that she will soon appear before the Tax Commission to reduce assessments on those properties with tainted drywall to post-Katrina levels.

“From what I am hearing, even if there are only two or three sheets it can contaminate the whole house, so those improvements have to be removed from the tax rolls,” said Core. “I don’t know if it can go back to 2008, but it will be reduced, and people can keep their homestead exemption as well.”

Core later noted that her office would continue to process assessment reviews, even though the two-week exposure period for public inspection has expired.

Also on hand for the meeting was Dr. Mark Rigler, a Georgia analyst involved in testing for toxic Chinese drywall.

Rigler said the tainted drywall produces at least three sulfurous gases: hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide. The gases can be neurotoxic, depending on the concentration, and are most dangerous to the elderly, chronically ill and small children. Anyone suffering dizziness, headaches or similar complaints should see their doctor, he advised, because the symptoms are common for many other conditions.

Additional meetings are planned, and will be held in Slidell and on the Southshore.

Residents who have been denied coverage from their insurance company are asked to fax Quinn at (504) 219-4639, or e-mail her at quinnj@legis.state.la.us.

To file a complaint with the Consumer Products Safety Commission, go to http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html. To file a complaint with Louisiana Attorney General, go to http://www.ag.state.la.us/ and click on “Consumer Complaints,” or call 1-800-351-4889. For updates on the Chinese drywall multi-district litigation (MDL No. 2047), go to www.laed.us courts.gov., and click on “Drywall MDL.”