Base Camp Housing Extended To Bridge Support For On-Going Recovery Services 

Release Date: April 7, 2006
Release Number: 1603-430

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BATON ROUGE, La. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced it has extended the contracts that provide base camp services in Louisiana. These housing centers have been providing shelter for first responders, emergency workers, and volunteers committed to the response and recovery of the region. The base camps will now remain open until June 1, the official start of hurricane season.

FEMA has been providing these camps to support state and local recovery efforts. The extension of the operation of these camps provides a bridge for state and parish officials to develop more comprehensive solutions that will support volunteers engaged in longer term recovery.

“Our base camp operations have been a vital support component for workers, many of them volunteers, that have come to help the recovery,” said Gil Jamieson, FEMA’s Deputy Director for Gulf Coast Recovery.

FEMA established base camps in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes. These flexible housing resources have the capacity to reduce and expand to meet demand. The four camps, located in: New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, and Cameron Parish place recovery workers and volunteers in close proximity to areas that remain devastated in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The camps provide shelter, hygiene facilities, laundry, food, and basic first aid at a cost of approximately $100 a day per occupant.

“The volunteer spirit of neighbor helping neighbor is alive and well; we need to support this vital resource that is supporting us,” continued Jamieson.

Just today, volunteers in St. Bernard Parish celebrated cleaning out their 1,000th home with the support of FEMA, local government and faith-based partnerships.

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Friday, 07-Apr-2006 17:17:59