Temporary Office Buildings Help Local Government Services in Mississippi Get Back to Business 

Release Date: December 12, 2005
Release Number: 1604-166

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

JACKSON, Miss. - Built in 1911 and just a block off the beach in Bay St. Louis, the Hancock County Courthouse still stands after Hurricane Katrina. Not far away on Coleman Avenue below the railroad tracks, only a slab remains of Waveland City Hall and the fire department. Extensive wind and water damage and in some cases total destruction brought on by the devastating storm have made several local government offices along the Mississippi Gulf Coast uninhabitable.

Many local government services are now being housed in temporary office buildings provided by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees the site preparation, delivery and installation of all of the units.

In just a few short months, the Corps has helped FEMA restore critical local government services in six counties through the use of temporary modular buildings. These structures include fire and police stations, government services, ports, state offices, medical clinics and legal facilities. More than 160 structures have been installed and turned over to the local communities. Installation of an additional 44 buildings is underway, which when completed will bring the current mission to more than 70 percent.

"This was a top priority for the state of Mississippi and the federal government," said Elizabeth Ivy, Corps Mission Manager for Temporary Public Structures. "Returning the operation of local governments and public services has contributed to communities resuming business as normal."

Tim Kellar who has served as the Hancock County Chancery Clerk and County Administrator for 10 years, used to report to work at the Hancock County Courthouse. After working in a flooded building the first days after Katrina, he said many county offices relocated to cramped quarters at the Hancock County Vocational and Technical School. They moved a third time to temporary tent-like structures called Quonset huts, which were set up by the Corps. Last month they were able to move into the modular buildings and Kellar stated that things are almost back to normal.

"We had to go back decades in the way we were trying to do business, and we could only do the bare minimum," said Kellar, who remembers working without electricity, phones, computers, fax and copy machines. "We've now been able to step it up and provide (the community) the services they're used to. We're getting back to that level."

Temporary Office Buildings Help Local Government Services in Mississippi Get Back to Mississippi…page two

Many of the temporary offices measure approximately 24-feet-by-60-feet and are outfitted with utilities, heating, air conditioning, phone and internet capabilities. Some police and fire departments have received mobile homes as well to support their operations.

"We've been able to settle in and handle the influx of business that's been coming in," said Kellar, who now works out of one of the 26 trailers which make up the Hancock County government complex at the site where the demolished Hancock County Civic Center once stood. "FEMA and the Corps of Engineers have really stepped up for us at a time when we didn't have resources available."

Last Modified: Tuesday, 13-Dec-2005 09:26:13