FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison Breaks Log Jam to Provide Temporary Housing for Texans Displaced by Hurricane Ike
Heard Firsthand from Texas Living along Gulf Coast about Lack of Temporary Housing
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) today brokered a deal between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State of Texas that will bring additional housing alternatives to local communities for Texans displaced by Hurricane Ike.
On Monday, Sen. Hutchison traveled to Beaumont and Orange County, Texas to view hurricane recovery efforts, thank volunteers, and meet with local officials. During her trip, Sen. Hutchison heard about the lack of temporary housing for Texans in small rural communities without hotel or motel accommodations.
Today, at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill that featured testimony from the Mayor of Houston and the Mayor of Galveston, Sen. Hutchison brokered a deal between Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst (R-TX) and Deputy FEMA Administrator Admiral Harvey Johnson to allow the State of Texas to receive certified mobile homes from FEMA which meet Texas’ formaldehyde testing requirements.
“Many Texans want to begin restoring their normal day to day lives, but they cannot do so without adequate temporary housing,” said Sen. Hutchison. “I heard directly from Texans and local officials about a lack of appropriate housing options while I visited coastal Texas communities. The agreement we brokered today between the State and FEMA will provide a more suitable temporary housing option for many Texans displaced by this disaster.”
Soon, local Texas communities and individuals displaced by Hurricane Ike will have the option to utilize a mobile home from FEMA as a temporary housing option to better enable their efforts to rebuild their homes and daily lives.
Earlier Tuesday Sen. Hutchison welcomed Houston Mayor Bill White, Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, Port of Galveston Chair Gerald Sullivan, and UT-Medical Branch President Dr. David Callender to meet with Sen. John Cornyn in her office before they attended a Senate committee hearing on Hurricane Ike response.
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