FEMA purchase program on hold
Published 3:31 pm Monday, August 25, 2008
A local resident is concerned that she will have no place to live if she is unable to purchase the emergency housing she was provided.
Erin Berry, a Pearl River County resident, said she was originally told she would have the option to purchase the mobile home that the Federal Emergency Management Agency granted her after her original home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Now it seems that option has been put on hold. Berry was recently notified that she will not be able to purchase the mobile home in the near future.
An email statement from FEMA states there has been no formal suspension of the sale of mobile homes. But the organization is reviewing their policies dealing with the sale of the mobile homes to ensure formaldehyde issues and any other health and or safety concerns are addressed before the program moves forward. There is no time frame for a decision but when the decision is made they state they will notify all applicants of their decision.
Hurricane Katrina assistance has been extended to March 1, 2009. The time period temporary housing occupants will remain in that housing will depend on the progress they exude in obtaining long term accommodations, according to the email.