Katrina/Rita Housing Facts
Release Date: January 29, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-008Factsheet
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When FEMA first began to receive reports about formaldehyde concerns from occupants of travel trailers, the response was on a one-by-one basis and was immediate. As FEMA came to realize the scope of the issues, the agency has been taking aggressive action to share information with the public and address concerns about formaldehyde. FEMA's multi-approach initiative includes the following:
- A comprehensive a housing relocation initiative to relocate disaster victims still in temporary housing units into permanent, long term housing;
- Publishing and promoting a Formaldehyde Call Center so occupants of temporary housing units could get questions answered and request alternate housing;
- Offering to immediately move occupants who request alternate housing because of formaldehyde concerns;
- Establishing a National Housing Task Force that is working to identify innovative housing solutions that more fully leverage the entire range of rental, federal-, state-, and voluntary agency-managed property.
The following is information from the Formaldehyde Call Center as of Jan. 16, 2008
| Total | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
|
Applicants with formaldehyde concerns requesting alternate housing |
3,557 |
(of 41,779) |
|
- Have moved to alternate housing |
2,192 |
62% |
|
- Requested alternate and pending decision |
1,080 |
30% |
|
- Refused all alternate housing options |
285 |
8% |
|
|
|
|
|
Pending, Why? |
2,192 |
|
|
- Applicant deciding between several options |
1,945 |
|
|
- Applicant making decision on specific offering |
357* |
|
|
- Applicant looking on their own |
96 |
|
|
- Applicant accepted, awaiting landlord, state, etc. |
7 |
|
|
- Applicant accepted, awaiting FEMA payment |
|
|
|
- Accepted. Pending move-in |
1,179 |
30% |
|
|
109 |
|
|
Moved where? (some double counting ) |
699 |
20% |
|
- Rental |
80 |
|
|
Hotel / Motel (*some are in the process of moving ) |
139 |
|
|
- Move to AHPP |
75 |
|
|
- Back to Pre-Disaster Housing |
52 |
|
Households Currently Receiving Direct Housing Assistance
By Katrina/Rita State
| State | Current Number of Households | Aggregate Number of Households |
|---|---|---|
|
Alabama |
108 |
2,056 |
|
Louisiana |
28,888 |
91,491 |
|
Mississippi |
11,484 |
45,818 |
|
Texas |
385 |
4,245 |
|
TOTAL: |
40,865 |
143,610 |
**1/11/08
Temporary Housing Occupancy By State
|
|
Louisiana | Mississippi | Alabama | Texas | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Private |
23,624 |
8,849 |
91 |
385 |
32,949 |
|
Group |
1,806 |
1,039 |
0 |
0 |
2,845 |
|
Commercial |
3,299 |
1,596 |
17 |
0 |
4,912 |
|
Industrial |
159 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
159 |
|
TOTAL |
28,888 |
11,484 |
108 |
385 |
40,865 |
**1/11/08
Average Number of Applicants Moved Out of THU
Approximately 900 a week - As of January 21, 2007
| Remaining | ||
|---|---|---|
Commercial and Group |
145 |
7,757 |
Industrial |
20 |
159 |
Private |
749 |
32,949 |
Total |
914 |
40,865 |
Other temporary housing unit initiatives include:
- Assigning housing caseworkers to households still in temporary housing units and conducting job-specific training to help them work with applicants to find alternate housing - all FEMA field caseworkers have received this new training;
- Reinstituting and expanding a reimbursement program of relocation assistance to Katrina/Rita households displaced by the disaster - expenses up to $4,000 eligible under IHP for applicants returning to their pre-disaster states, and for applicants in the states residing in temporary housing to move anywhere in the country beyond 50-miles from their current location in the state;
- Executing an Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a temporary housing rental assistance and case management program to be administered by HUD through its Public Housing Agencies;
IHP Assistance
- Over $7.7 billion has been provided to more than 1.4 million households through FEMA's Individual and Households Program (IHP).
- This includes nearly $5.6 billion in Housing Assistance, and
- Over $2.1 billion in Other Needs Assistance.
- Nearly $2.5 billion of rental assistance has been distributed to over 730,000 households.
- FEMA has provided over $437 million in home repair payments, helping make more than 185,000 homes habitable across the Gulf Region following Katrina and Rita.
- In addition, FEMA has provided more than $345 million to over 34,000 households to assist them towards the purchase of replacement housing.
Alternative Housing Pilot Program
The states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas all submitted projects that ranked as the most competitive to receive grant funding, with the projects providing a high degree of confidence in achieving their goal.
Top projects selected and possible award amount total $388 million
- Alabama, City of Bayou La Batre Project, up to $15,667,293.00
- Louisiana, Cypress Cottage Partners Project, up to $74,542,370.00
- Mississippi, Green Mobile Project, up to $5,890,882.00
- Mississippi, Park Model and Mississippi Cottage Project, up to $275,427,730.00
- Texas, Heston Group Project, up to $16,471,725.00
Average Number of Applicants Moved Out of THU
Approximately 900 a week - As of January 21, 2007
| Remaining | ||
|---|---|---|
Commercial and Group |
145 |
7,757 |
Industrial |
20 |
159 |
Private |
749 |
32,949 |
Total |
914 |
40,865 |
Surplus Housing Units
FEMA temporary housing inventory is comprised of three categories:
- Deployed: Units that are deployed to the field and not currently in storage at any FEMA housing storage site;
- Operational: Units held at a FEMA housing storage site that are fully mission capable for immediate deployment within 24 hours for occupancy by eligible disaster assistance applicants;
- Non-Operational: Units held at a FEMA housing storage site that are not mission capable within 24 hours or are not economically feasible to be made mission capable.
Total Units at Staging Areas: 89,106
(By type as of 1/22/08)
Travel Trailers:
Operational - 3,800
Non-Operational - 70,817
Park Models:
Operational - 21
Non-Operational - 1,921
Mobile Homes:
Operational - 1,764
Non-Operational - 10,783
OTHER ASSISTANCE
Mitigation Assistance
- $71 million is available in Alabama for HMGP, of which $18.1 million has been obligated and $37 million in additional applications are currently in review.
- Alabama has until February 24, 2008 to submit additional applications and FEMA is currently reviewing a request from the State of Alabama to extend this deadline.
- $103 million is available in Texas for HMGP as a result of Hurricane Rita. Texas has submitted applications for the full amount of funding available and, as of January 2, 2008, $67.1 million has been obligated.
Through October 2007, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has paid out over $16.6 billion in NFIP claims in the Gulf Coast, including $13.4 billion on over 187,000 claims in Louisiana alone. Over 99 percent of all claims filed have been closed.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 30-Jan-2008 13:45:38