More FEMA Temporary Housing Sites Closing Throughout Coast Cities

More FEMA Temporary Housing Sites Closing Throughout Coast Cities
Meeting Local Deadlines

From: FEMA Filed 10/18/07

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). “We’re here to help move Mississippi’s recovery forward. We know housing remains an issue and we’re 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.