Hardee County Storm Victims Get Temporary Homes 

Release Date: May 9, 2005
Release Number: 1539-446

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- To Margaret Criface, 76, of Wauchula, having Hurricanes Charley and Frances slam into her mobile home seemed enough to endure. But then Jeanne struck the final blow, turning her home into a pile of debris. Somehow, she had to find shelter.

Criface applied for disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was delighted when a brand new travel trailer was set up next to the remains of her shattered mobile home. The trailer offered her a safe haven while she figured out the next steps to take.

“I fell in love with the trailer,” said Criface, who gets around with the aid of a walker. FEMA built a ramp to make it easier for her to enter and leave the trailer. The trailer has new appliances, a comfortable bedroom, bathroom with shower, a fully equipped kitchen, and space for sitting and eating.

Criface is one of more than 500 Hardee County residents who have received travel trailers from FEMA for temporary housing. Mobile homes have been provided temporarily to another 198 households in the county.

Settled comfortably in the trailer, Criface holds her young Chihuahua, Smokey, on her lap. The trailer that is now their home has proven an unexpected bonus that has helped her turn her life around after the hurricanes’ devastation.

The home of another Hardee resident, Charlie Mae Jones, 63, of Limestone, was unsafe to live in after Charley ravaged it. After hop scotching among the homes of her children and a hotel in Bradenton, Jones was relieved to receive a FEMA travel trailer to use while her home is repaired.

Jones found the staff of the local Disaster Recovery Center a good resource when she applied for assistance and considered her housing options.

“I’ve had no problems with FEMA; they’ve been helpful,” she said.

A coalition of voluntary and faith-based organizations is helping Hardee County residents recover. The Centro Campesino, a nonprofit organization for Hispanic farm workers that is a member of the coalition, found someone to repair Jones’s house.

Not even the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Ona, where Jones is a member, was spared the wrath of the storm. Shingles were blown off and the ceiling was damaged by the rain. The sanctuary was so badly damaged that it is being rebuilt.

Jones’s community wants to be better prepared for any other disasters that may come, so the church may have a new role in disasters. The church is being rebuilt stronger to meet hurricane resistant standards. With the advice and help of the county’s emergency management office, church leaders are planning to meet the requirements to serve as a shelter for those seeking safety from future storms.

The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s state agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impacts. Visit www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief efforts.

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

Last Modified: Monday, 09-May-2005 12:47:31