Fact Sheet: Hope, Ark., Mobile Home Staging
Release Date: April 20, 2006
Release Number: FNF-06-009FactSheet
Direct housing is one form of assistance FEMA offers in the wake of disasters. Under this program, travel trailers and mobile homes are provided to victims for short-term use while they make repairs to their damaged homes or find alternative housing. In a typical year, the demand for mobile homes following a disaster averages about 2,000 units a year -- with significant spikes in above-average years such as the 2004 Florida hurricanes (5,222) and the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes (nearly 6,000 occupied to date).
Within days of Hurricane Katrina, more than 273,000 evacuees were in congregate shelters with hundreds of thousands more staying in hotels and family residences across the country (an estimated 2.1 million people evacuated for Katrina alone). The projected housing need was unprecedented and FEMA tapped all resources to be ready to support the need. Immediately after the storm, FEMA purchased almost 25,000 mobile homes, in addition to more than 100,000 travel trailers, in support of a temporary housing plan for the Gulf Coast.
More than 10,000 (10,112 as of April 20) of these fully-maintained and ready-for-use mobile homes are staged in Hope, Ark.—easily accessible to housing operations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, the units are also available for other disasters in which there are needs for direct housing, such as the areas ravaged by tornadoes this spring.
FEMA mobile homes staged in Arkansas are fully habitable, available and properly maintained. These mobile homes represent one component of FEMA’s comprehensive housing strategy which has already helped more than 825,000 hurricane victims from Katrina and Rita with temporary housing assistance.
GULF COAST TEMPORARY HOUSING EFFORTS CONTINUE
Supporting Unprecedented Housing Needs – In Louisiana there are currently more than 2,500 (2,508 as of April 20) mobile homes being occupied by hurricane victims and it is estimated that an additional 3,000 units will be placed in the state by mid-June. Those mobile homes will be drawn from the Hope staging area. Also, nearly 3,400 (3,374 as of April 20) mobile homes are occupied in Mississippi with the potential requirement of additional units coming from mobile home staging areas.
Additional Disaster support – In addition to the Gulf Coast direct housing support, the mobile homes at the Hope facility are available for other presidentially-declared disasters where housing needs exist. Mobile homes have already been moved to Marmaduke, Ark., to provide housing for Arkansas tornado victims. Additional units are being moved to other areas hard hit by recent tornadoes and severe storms, such as Caruthersville, Mo., where mobile homes are presently staged and are being provided upon request from the state.
MOBILE HOME DEPLOYMENT STRATEGY
Action Plan for Mobile Homes – FEMA has approximately 16,000 mobile homes in inventory nationwide, and is providing mobile homes immediately upon request to fulfill housing needs for open disasters, including those states hit by recent tornadoes. While the existing nationwide inventory is higher than in an average year, given the current expectation of above-average hurricane and tornado seasons, such a reserve is prudent.
FEMA will continue to move mobile homes from the Hope, Ark., site to open disasters and strategic staging areas through the end of July. A transfer of mobile homes from the Hope facility to the staging area in New Jersey is underway. When completed, more than 500 units will stand by in that staging facility for any need that arises in future disasters in the Atlantic Coast region. FEMA plans to retain between 5,300 and 7,000 mobile homes at the Hope site to provide a strategic, ready supply of mobile homes. These mobile homes will be placed or used to replace any manufactured housing units that might be damaged or destroyed during the upcoming hurricane season.
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 in March 2003.
Last Modified: Thursday, 20-Apr-2006 10:01:01