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FEMA mobile homes being tested, Beebe says; Time of delivery unknown Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Mobile homes provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency are being tested for possible high levels of formaldehyde before they are shipped to victims of the tornado earlier this month in northern Arkansas, Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday. "I want to get that done as quickly as possible so they can be distributed," the governor said, adding that safety is the top priority. "FEMA is working as hard as they can." The governor said some of the victims of the Feb. 5 tornado that 13 Arkansans in cutting a 120-mile path of destruction western and northern Arkansas "don't have any options as far as lease or rental." Dan Martinez, a spokesman for FEMA in Arkansas, said about 145 families left homeless after the tornado have been moved into rental housing, apartments or hotels, and he said the agency has identified 16 families who will need a mobile home to live in when they become available. "We've been very aggressive in trying to find out alternative housing," Martinez said. "Right now we're waiting on FEMA to tell us when they will be able to start moving the mobile homes." FEMA's plans to provide housing to some of the tornado victims in Arkansas were put on hold last week after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that high levels of formaldehyde had been found in a random testing of the government's stockpile of mobile homes. More than 7,000 mobile homes are stored at the Hope Municipal Airport. FEMA purchased the trailers in 2005 in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf Coast. Beebe, who praised FEMA for its efforts days after the Feb. 5 tornado, backed off some of those compliments on Monday. "I'm bragging on them for finally really responding properly after our tornadoes here in Arkansas a couple weeks ago, and doggone if they don't end up with another piece of egg on their face," the governor told reporters. "I don't know how you buy trailers that are unsafe or how you let them stay in that situation, but I do think quick and decisive testing ought to be done and appropriate precautions taken, and then if they're safe, get them distributed as quickly as possible," the governor said. Last year, Beebe and FEMA locked horns when the agency declined to provide mobile homes to southern Arkansas after tornadoes devastated Dumas and surrounding areas. Martinez said Monday nearly 1,250 Arkansans who suffered some type of loss from the Feb. 5 tornado have registered with FEMA. The deadline to register for possible federal assistance is April 7. Nearly 1,100 people have gone to disaster recovery centers in the area, and $1.1 million in federal money has been approved for housing assistance, Martinez. Also, about $380,000 has already been approved for other needs, such as medical bills, to the victims, he said. ------ The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
