FEMA Releases 2008 Disaster Housing Plan
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-096
- Disaster Housing Plan (PDF 232KB, TXT 14KB)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Fact Sheet
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released today the 2008 Disaster Housing Plan. The plan details FEMA's role in support of local officials to meet housing needs for disaster victims this hurricane season. It also incorporates new and stringent air quality specifications and testing protocols for factory-built housing, which must fulfill State health requirements prior to their use.
FEMA's top priority remains the safety and well being of disaster victims. The 2008 Disaster Housing Plan reinforces a strong commitment to support local officials with housing assistance as requested, and emphasizes the use of a broad range of interim housing solutions as well as other innovative options. They include authorizing permanent construction, and the creation of a state-led Housing Solutions Task Force to evaluate housing requirements, identify potential solutions, and develop a coordinated plan for delivering necessary assistance in a timely and cost-effective manner.
FEMA's approach is to provide safe, flexible interim housing assistance that can be adjusted to the range of requirements as a result of a disaster, and with the objective of helping victims to quickly return to their homes or locate other permanent housing. The plan involves four priority actions:
- Maximize Available Housing Resources
- Use Traditional Forms of Interim Housing
- Employ Innovative Forms of Interim Housing
- Authorize Permanent Construction
The plan states that only in extraordinary disaster conditions would FEMA consider expanding the housing options offered to a state to include travel trailers. Each state will make a determination, based on the conditions within that state, whether travel trailers are an acceptable form of temporary housing. In such a circumstance, the following stipulations would apply:
- Authorization must be made by the FEMA Administrator;
- Units can only be used on private property (where mobile homes will not fit);
- Damage to the occupant's primary dwelling can be repaired within six months; and
- Each unit, obtained either from FEMA's inventory or purchased off-the-lot, will be tested for formaldehyde and the results will be made available to the state
FEMA Administrator David Paulison prohibited further use of travel trailers as an option for temporary housing in October 2007. The decision was the result of apparent implications for disaster victims who had potentially been exposed to formaldehyde, and an undetermined level of formaldehyde present in travel trailers. FEMA has met state disaster housing using mobile homes since October 2007, and it has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control to develop testing protocols for formaldehyde and evaluate results in comparison to levels present in most homes. FEMA will continue testing unused mobile homes in inventory, and provide the results to disaster victims as well as state officials, who determine which housing units will be acceptable for their residents.
FEMA has assisted more than 1.58 million households with financial or direct housing assistance since landfall of hurricane Katrina (not since October 1, 2007 as previously indicated).
For additional information on FEMA housing efforts, and to read the FEMA 2008 Disaster Housing Plan, please visit www.fema.gov.
For additional information on disaster preparedness, please visit www.ready.gov.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
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