FEMA Temporary Housing Sites Closing; Meeting Local Deadlines
Release Date: October 18, 2007
Release Number: 1604-603
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
BILOXI, Miss. -- Approximately 15 temporary housing sites constructed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina throughout Mississippi have closed and seven additional sites will close by the end of Jan. 2008. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) built 43 sites, known as emergency group or group sites, with cooperation from local governments and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) that met the housing need of more than 3,000 displaced residents.
Occupants were placed in group sites if they did not have private property to place a unit or if their property could not sustain a temporary housing unit.
The table below identifies sites scheduled to close. Site occupants will be moved out of their units thirty days prior to the scheduled close date. FEMA Individual Assistance caseworkers will work with occupants to assist them to available rental resources. If occupants have questions, they can call the Mississippi Applicant Support Call Center at 1-866-877-6075. Call Center representatives are available 24 hours, seven days a week.
| SITE NAME | COUNTY | CITY | NUMBER OF UNITS | CLOSE DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusty Durham | Harrison | Gulfport | 38 | 11/30/2007 |
| Milner Stadium | Harrison | Gulfport | 56 | 11/30/2007 |
| Ocean Springs Civic Center | Jackson | Ocean Springs | 43 | 12/30/2007 |
| Kennedy | Harrison | Biloxi | 36 | 12/31/2007 |
| TSA | Harrison | Gulfport | 25 | 1/30/2008 |
| Bay Village | Hancock | Bay St. Louis | 123 | 1/31/2008 |
| Desporte's | Harrison | D'Iberville | 44 | 1/31/2008 |
Although available housing is a limited along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the park closings mark steady progress in the recovery effort and resilience on behalf of Mississippians determined to move forward.
Cooperation with local governments on our housing sites is one of our top priorities. We want to help them accomplish what they feel is best for their residents, said Sid Melton, director of the FEMA Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office (TRO). Were here to help move Mississippis recovery forward. We know housing remains an issue and were working with the state to resolve it.
The Mississippi Alternative Housing Program, administered by MEMA, has moved more than 300 families to Mississippi Park Models or Cottages but these units are temporary as well. The experimental program is designed to develop and produce a viable option to current disaster housing.
Approximately 14,902 families currently occupy temporary housing units across Mississippi. More than 11,000 of those units are located in the three coastal counties.
FEMA coordinates the federal governments role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, economic status or retaliation. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, you should call FEMA toll-free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or contact your State Office of Equal rights. If suspicious of any abuse of FEMA programs, please contact the fraud hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
Last Modified: Thursday, 18-Oct-2007 16:27:57