(Washington, D.C.) After spending close to one year waging war on government red tape that has prevented nearly 10,000 FEMA manufactured homes from getting distributed to Hurricane Katrina storm victims, U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) today unveiled a new plan to dispense the brand new manufactured homes to storm victims, municipalities, communities and non-profits in need. 

Ross announced his plans today on the eve of the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall that devastated much of the Gulf Coast last summer.

“It’s now been one year since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and American taxpayers are still spending more than $250,000 per month to store 9,855 of these manufactured homes,” Ross said.  “It’s time that we get these manufactured homes to those across this country that need them.

“My plan would make storm victims, municipalities and communities who have experienced a disaster in the last two years eligible for these unused, fully furnished, manufactured homes.  American taxpayers have made an investment in these manufactured homes and it would be unacceptable for this investment to go to waste.” 

Ross said that after working since last fall to exhaust all options to dispense the manufactured homes stored in Hope, he will introduce legislation in September to make victims in any federally declared disaster zone eligible to apply for the manufactured homes.  Ross said his legislation would allow storm victims who lost their home in the last 24 months to apply for a manufactured home after meeting certain criteria.  Ross’s plan calls on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a program to disburse the empty housing to storm victims.   

Last week, FEMA announced an interim policy to donate manufactured homes to local governments and nonprofits to provide short term shelter to disaster victims.  Ross called this step good news, but said that it was long overdue and that FEMA must do more.  Ross’s plan would allow disaster victims to apply for FEMA manufactured homes and once they’ve been adequately housed, local governments and nonprofits could then apply for excess manufactured homes to be used for affordable housing.

“I’m pleased that FEMA has taken the initiative to temporarily distribute these manufactured homes, but it is unfortunate that this move took nearly 12 months,” Ross said. “My plan will help communities across the country provide emergency housing to residents in need.  It would make this policy permanent, and ensure that the type of mismanagement we’ve seen over the past year never happens again.”       

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last year, Ross has worked closely with U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) on legislation to cut bureaucratic red tape so storm evacuees could get emergency housing purchased by FEMA and stored in Hope. 

Ross and Pryor introduced the “Hope Housing Act of 2006” in March which would waive FEMA regulations prohibiting manufactured homes from being located in floodplains. Recently, legislation introduced by Pryor was passed in the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that resembled the “Hope Housing Act of 2006” and would allow FEMA to sell or donate leftover manufactured homes to localities and non-profit organizations.

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