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Residents of Hancock County know recovery from Hurricane Katrina is a slow process, but with the storm's two-month anniversary looming, many are losing patience.

Thousands are still waiting for a travel trailer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and an untold number are living amid debris in tents or under tarps.

"We're not in recovery. We're still in relief," said Kevin Bailey, a volunteer from Ohio. That's not a message that is getting out to the rest of the country, he said.

"What's got homeowners so upset is FEMA and the (local governments) haven't been issuing any (building) permits," said Waveland resident and local builder Pete Grisham.

Before a crowd of upset homeowners Tuesday, the Hancock County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to begin issuing building permits using standards for elevation set before Katrina. The county ordinance could be revisited based on new flood advisory maps from FEMA, but board chairman Rocky Pullman said some of the figures he has seen are "astronomical."

Bailey works in a relief station set up in a strip mall parking lot outside Waveland where residents come for food, ice and medical care. He also is the creator of the Web site femaforgotwaveland.com, which he describes as a sounding board for local frustrations.

Officials with FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say the storm left Hancock County with massive amounts of debris, which in turn has made restoring utilities to some areas slow and the placement of trailers even slower.

And as the weather turns colder, officials are becoming more concerned about residents sticking it out in makeshift camp sites near the Coast. Sean Reilly, a spokesman for the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency, said volunteers have been visiting camp sites making sure residents have enough warm clothes.

While FEMA estimates about 400 mobile homes are being placed with Mississippi families every day, agency spokesman Eugene Brezany said a trailer is not the only option. The agency also offers rental assistance, although that may require that residents leave the coastal counties.

"We know that there are folks that have chosen not to leave their premises. That's understandable. People don't want to leave their belongings," he said. "Nobody has to be hanging on by their fingernails while they turn blue in the cold. There are other options."

FEMA rules do not allow storm victims to place a trailer on their own property until power, water and sewer service has been restored. In some areas, particularly those near the coastline, those utilities still are missing.

Some local residents have suggested those rules be set aside, arguing a travel trailer without electricity is better than a tent. Brezany said a lack of utilities is not the only issue.

Often neighborhoods are so choked with debris emergency vehicles could not enter in case of an emergency. And while the trailers have hold tanks for sewage, they are not designed to be used for weeks at a time without being hooked up to utilities, he said.

Officials with the Corps of Engineers say more than 1 million cubic yards of debris have been cleared from Hancock County, about one-seventh of the estimated total.

Frank Worley, corps spokesman, said 280 trucks are working daily hauling debris to a dozen collection sites. But there are limits to how much debris can be handled on any given day.

At Tuesday's meeting, they railed against new, more expensive standards and worried whether they would be unable to get mortgages and insurance if they didn't adhere to the federal recommendation.

County officials warned residents if their home was completely destroyed by Katrina, they need to consider building to a higher standard. FEMA will set new standards and the county will be pressured to adopt them, said County Attorney Ronnie Artigues.

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