Housing Aid Continues For Residents Displaced By Hurricane Isabel
Release Date: October 3, 2003
Release Number: 1490-27
» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Isabel
Raleigh, NC -- Hurricane Isabel destroyed or severely damaged at least 657 homes in North Carolina, according to preliminary damage assessments. Disaster officials say that number is expected to rise as more detailed surveys become available.
To date, 2,428 households in the state have indicated they needed temporary rental housing because of hurricane damage when they applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA supplies emergency financial grants to those forced from their homes because of the hurricane. At the close of business yesterday, that assistance totaled $2.3 million.
"That money provides essential shelter while people decide how to rebuild their lives," said Gracia Szczech, the FEMA official in charge of federal recovery efforts in North Carolina. "It means they do not have to face the extra cost of emergency housing at the same time as they are dealing with everything else."
FEMA temporary housing aid is based on a constantly updated median rental cost for a home that matches the size of each displaced household in the declared county.
"We want to help people stay close to their community," explained Dr. Kenneth B. Taylor, the North Carolina official in charge of the state's disaster response. "That way children are near their schools, the employed are near their work, and they are all near the friends and places they know. Using existing rental units is the fastest way to get people into a home again. A side benefit is that the aid becomes extra money circulating in an area that can use the economic boost."
Another possible option in North Carolina is the use of small, mobile travel trailers in which a family can live while they are repairing their damaged home. The trailers are a distant second choice to rental housing, Szczech said, because they are smaller than rental units, take time to get into place, and require utility hookups. Use of trailers must also conform to all local, state and federal laws and regulations.
If and where trailers are used, she added, priority will be given to people with critical disaster housing needs: those with medical conditions who are able to live in trailers, those living in crowded conditions and those living in damaged homes that are not safe.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Friday, 03-Oct-2003 11:15:37