The question of whether or not the closing of Eastbrooke by its landlord Mark Mollers created a community disaster - as defined by floods, fires or hurricanes - is another question.

Faced with the prospect of finding new lots for their mobile homes by Dec. 1, many of Eastbrooke's residents experienced financial chaos and crisis. But does the loss of home due to an eviction notice equate to a displacement caused by a more "natural" disaster?

Major Robert McClintock of the Salvation Army doesn't make much distinction between the two. Multiple low-income families struggling to find a place to live all at one time in a city is a mini-disaster, no matter what its cause. Either way, he feels a moral obligation to help.

The Salvation Army has raised about $20,000 for Eastbrooke relocations, including $10,000 from one donor who wishes to remain anonymous and more than $2,000 at a chili feed sponsored by the owners of the Sandtrap restaurant at Meadowbrook Golf Course.

Another "donation" came from the Rapid City Common Council, which made an emergency allocation of $10,000 to help with utility hook-up costs or landfill fees, as needed.

We applaud the compassion shown by private individuals and charitable organizations in this situation, but we wonder about the precedent of using taxpayer dollars to help low-income mobile-home owners with moving expenses.

There are about 15 mobile home parks licensed within the city limits of Rapid City, and more than 1,500 individuals and families who live in them. Eastbrooke raises the issue of treating them fairly, with regards to public funds, when it comes to assistance with moving expenses. As McClintock himself notes, "This could be the beginning of a really big problem."

Instead, we like Rep. Mark Kirkeby's promise to address the issue of mobile home park evictions in the 2008 Legislature.

Current state law requires landlords like Mollers to give people a minimum of 30 days notice of eviction. That is an unfair burden on lot renters, who not only have to move a household, but a whole house, in just 30 days. The owners of manufactured housing aren't exactly the same as apartment dwellers, and state lease law should acknowledge those differences.

And at the municipal level, we encourage the city council to include, as a condition for issuing a mobile home park license, a commitment to make any park closings known to tenants at least six to 12 months in advance.