Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2006

Schumer Urges State / Feds To Approve FEMA Trailers For Residents In Broome, Delaware And Otsego Counties

Temporary Housing Is Desperately Needed For Those Who Lost Homes In The Horrific Floods Last Month – FEMA Trailers Are Sitting In Arkansas Unused

Schumer: FEMA Needs To Deliver And Set Up Trailers Expeditiously Or Provide Alternative And Equally Satisfactory Housing Options

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged Governor George E. Pataki and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMO) and R. David Paulison, Under Secretary for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to expedite approval of FEMA trailers for residents in Broome, Delaware and Otsego Counties. Temporary housing is desperately needed for those who lost their home in last month’s horrific floods, and there are FEMA trailers available in Arkansas.

“People can not fully recover until every displaced person is again safe and secure,” Schumer said. “I've never seen anything quite like these floods that devastated the Southern Tier. The government has been asking these people to be patient as different kinds of aid slowly come in, but what they really need is a home to live in while they try to rebuild their lives. Clearly, these FEMA-provided trailers are vital to the recovery of the region and the stability of its residents.”

Struggling to cope with an overwhelming situation, Broome, Delaware and Otsego Counties believe that they do not have the resources to provide temporary housing for all of those who are in dire need of emergency housing resources for some of their most traumatized citizens. While these communities are accustomed to the strong storms that summer inevitably brings, this year they are suffering more than ever before, and can not bear the brunt of recovery alone. In order to get trailers, the counties must contact SEMO to make this request, and SEMO, in turn, solicits FEMA for final approval.

The current request is for 35-40 trailers in Otsego County, 100 trailers immediately and 25 in the long-term in Delaware County, and at least 150 trailers in Broome County, though the number of trailers being requested is an estimate and is likely to rise as damage assessments become more detailed. Schumer said that ideally the trailers can be placed in proximity to their damaged home. There are at least 1,000 destroyed homes throughout these three counties.

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