Thousands Of FEMA Trailers Sit Empty
POSTED: 7:50 pm EDT September 29, 2005
UPDATED: 8:18 am EDT September 30, 2005
VENICE, Fla. -- Hundreds of thousands of victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita remain homeless, but the WESH 2 I-Team has discovered thousands of temporary Federal Emergency Management Agency homes that could be put to use.
Instead, they remain unused in staging areas or tied up by victims from storms that hit more than a year ago.
The trailers sit silent in abandoned industrial parking lots around the country. There's 10,000 of them in all by FEMA's own count.
Despite four hurricanes in Florida last year and hurricanes Katrina and Rita this year, the trailers are currently not being used.
The reasons why includes local building codes and a lack of appropriate sites to put the trailers. Whatever the reasons, the trailers remain in Florida, sitting empty in four different staging areas while 300,000 victims of Katrina also sit waiting without a home.
"We know that when it comes to response and recovery, it's never fast enough," said FEMA spokeswoman Frances Marine.
The WESH 2 I-Team has also learned that when it comes to moving storm victims out of these temporary homes, the process can be just as slow.
Immediately after hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne hit Florida, more than 16,000 families moved into FEMA trailers. Now, more than a year later, nearly 7,627 families in Florida still remain in those trailers.
In Virginia, more than two years after Hurricane Isabel hit, 20 families still have FEMA trailers next to their still damaged homes.
The cost taxpayers is $1.3 million a month, just to maintain occupied FEMA trailers nationwide.
FEMA typically leases the trailers for 18 months after a storm. Residents usually pay only for utilities. Most live in these trailers rent free.
Some critics say that flexibility creates room for abuse.
"I think there's some of that. I think it's basically that they're paying utility bills but they're not paying any rent or anything like that," said Bob Hebert, Charlotte County's recovery administrator. "And I think there's no push other than to just to get into any sort of permanency."
FEMA rules require proof that residents are actively looking to find permanent housing, but government officials stress that in cases of victims who've lost their homes, patience is necessary.
The FEMA spokeswoman was asked if FEMA has ever kicked somebody out for staying in a trailer too long.
"Ever is a long time. I'd have to research that. But I can tell you it hasn't happened in Florida unless someone has violated the terms of their lease agreement," she said.
Even so, FEMA admits there are probably people who are abusing the system and staying longer than they have to, tying up trailers that could be used by victims of other storms such as Katrina or Rita.
Because of last year's four hurricanes, FEMA spent more than $560 million just to provide housing assistance in Florida.
The WESH 2 I-Team broke down those numbers and discovered FEMA spent $136 million for housing assistance in Central Florida alone.
