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FEMA mobile homes to be delivered soon, Beebe says Friday, Feb 22, 2008 Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - As many as 30 mobile homes have been inspected and are to be moved to the northern part of the state to help victims of tornadoes that struck earlier this month, Gov. Mike Beebe said Thursday. "Initially they said they didn't need any because they'd placed everybody in public, temporary housing, but subsequently I think we've heard in the 20-30 range of trailers that would be forthcoming immediately," the governor told reporters. Dan Martinez, spokesman for FEMA in Arkansas, said more than 145 families left homeless after the Feb. 5 tornado have been moved into rental housing, apartments or hotels, and the agency has identified about 20 families who might need mobile homes to live in. Martinez referred all specific questions about the status of the mobile homes to FEMA's office in Washington, D.C. Officials there did not return a telephone call Thursday afternoon. 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. Nearly 1,400 Arkansans who suffered some type of loss from the February tornadoes have registered with FEMA, Martinez said. The deadline to register for possible federal assistance is April 7. Nearly 1,400 people have gone to disaster recover centers in the area, and about $1.2 million in federal money also has been approved for housing assistance. Also, Martinez said, about $466,000 already has been approved for other needs, such as clothing and medical bills to the victims. |
