FEMA/State Asks Public For Help Locating Housing Resources 

Release Date: September 20, 2005
Release Number: 1603-025

» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Katrina

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Victims of Hurricane Katrina need safe, temporary housing while their homes are being repaired or new homes are constructed.

The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Military Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness use a variety of resources to meet the immense temporary housing needs of individuals and families displaced by the hurricane.

FEMA has an immediate need for large housing resources such as: commercial mobile home parks with a large number of unoccupied lots; large lots with built-in utilities; or vacant commercial buildings that could be converted to multi-family housing.

Individuals or businesses who can help fulfill this need can register large housing resources at the Southwest Emergency Resource Network (SWERN), www.swern.gov . The service is free. FEMA officials search SWERN daily for potential large housing resources.

For property owners who have an apartment or house for rent, Florida State University operates the Disaster Housing Resource Online (DHRO), www.dhronline.org . Individuals may list their available properties at this Web site. Information needed includes: the city, parish or zip code where the property is located; price range for rent; the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The DHRO Web site can be easily searched by any disaster victim seeking temporary housing There is no cost for the service.

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: Wednesday, 21-Sep-2005 07:31:06