New Orleans – In response to a request from the state of Louisiana, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering mobile homes and park model units only to families who need continued temporary housing assistance after hurricanes Gustav and Ike in the five, State-identified priority parishes of Cameron, Calcasieu, Terrebonne, Lafourche and Jefferson.

FEMA has been reaching out to victims of Gustav and Ike to determine their temporary housing needs and the most suitable housing options. Calls have been placed to more than 8,500 households and it has been determined that direct housing is the most suitable temporary housing option for 239 households so far.  

At this point, all Louisiana residents affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike who have requested emergency housing assistance have received it through various programs including hotel stays (the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program), rental assistance, rental resource identification assistance, funding for home repair and replacement, and longer-term rental assistance through the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP). 

Direct housing in the form of mobile homes and park model units is another form of temporary housing that can be used to augment the other tools that have been identified and utilized to address the temporary housing needs of Louisiana residents.

“FEMA has applied a lot of housing options since Gustav and Ike, and we are happy to offer this additional tool to capture the unique needs of Louisiana’s families,” said Jim Stark, assistant administrator for FEMA’s Gulf Coast Recovery Office. “It is FEMA’s intent to maximize available housing resources to help every eligible citizen.” 

Residents can register for assistance by going online to www.fema.gov, or by calling FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585. The deadline for registration has been extended to Nov. 14, 2008 for Hurricane Gustav and Nov. 26, 2008 for Hurricane Ike.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s 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.