Need For Emergency Travel Trailer Group Sites Lessens In Florida
Release Date: March 25, 2005
Release Number: 1539-417
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- As progress continues in the aftermath of the 2004 hurricane season, more Florida citizens living in temporary federal housing are moving back into their homes. However, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants those residents residing in emergency group sites (EGS) to know housing assistance remains available.
“FEMA’s commitment to helping Floridians recover from these disasters remains unchanged, and providing housing assistance remains a priority,” said Bill Carwile, federal coordinating officer with FEMA.
Following last year’s hurricanes, EGS were developed swiftly to supply housing to homeless disaster victims. FEMA and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT) currently have nine EGS statewide with 570 units (8’ by 25’ or larger), down from a high of 15 sites with 1,265 units.
State Coordinating Officer Craig Fugate with SERT said, “It is important for occupants of these sites to know that as the sites close, housing assistance will still be available to eligible applicants. Emergency group sites were developed as a short-term solution to immediately provide safe, sanitary housing.”
In developing the EGS, travel trailers were placed on identified available hard surfaces (i.e. parking lots) where basic needed utilities could easily be connected to units, usually placed safely above ground.
FEMA also leased pad space in existing commercial parks to quickly connect manufactured units to utilities for victims. There currently is a combination of about 2,000 mobile home and travel trailer units in 200 commercial parks statewide.
The need for the emergency and commercial park sites lessens as residents find permanent housing or move back into their homes. Occupants at sites where the leases are expiring may still be in need of housing assistance. As they undergo the recertification process and are determined to be eligible, FEMA and the State will continue to offer housing assistance in the form of more permanent locations that could include either existing rental housing or FEMA-created mobile home parks.
In seven months of assessing disaster damages and housing needs in Florida’s counties, FEMA and SERT supplied communities with more than 14,000 short-term travel trailers and mobile home units. Occupants have been able to lease these units for up to 18 months, usually rent free, while they repair their original homes or find new, permanent housing.
During this period, the State and FEMA continually work with displaced residents to help them find more permanent housing in their communities.
Apart from the EGS, FEMA also has developed mobile home parks. FEMA mobile home parks resemble mini-subdivisions with underground utilities. The parks take 60 days or longer to develop, depending upon available land, construction or permitting constraints. Lots and infrastructure (power, water and sewer) are planned, designed and constructed to meet the criteria of larger mobile home units (14’ by 70’). Currently, there are 13 FEMA mobile home parks with 1,315 units statewide.
FEMA and SERT also have numerous longer-term mobile home sites under development in hard-hit Charlotte, DeSoto, Escambia, Martin and Santa Rosa counties to accommodate more than 450 units. Officials also continue to scout for park locations in Escambia, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and Santa Rosa counties to place about 400 more housing units.
Housing units also have been installed on residents’ private property. Nearly 9,000 travel trailers and mobile homes are on private residential property.
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: Friday, 25-Mar-2005 15:32:42