At the state’s request, FEMA provided mobile homes as a last resort to some August 2016 flood survivors who were unable to find temporary housing. Mobile homes remain a temporary housing resource, but the number of survivors who leave units and return home increases daily.
Move Outs
- More than 2,500 households in FEMA-provided mobile homes—about 56 percent of those who received them—are in repaired homes or other suitable permanent housing.
- About 220 households moved out of units in December 2017—an average of about seven a day—to return home.
- About 630 units—after being cleaned and passing quality inspections—have left Louisiana to help the temporary housing needs of Hurricane Harvey survivors in Texas.
Looking Forward
- After providing living and maintenance expenses at no cost for up to 18 months, FEMA will charge occupants rent beginning March 1, 2018.
- Occupants who need more time working on permanent housing plans and meet FEMA’s eligibility criteria may pay rent to remain. Rent is based on fair market rates and a consideration of each household’s finances.
- FEMA has created a special section on its website to help occupants return home at www.fema.gov/disaster/4277 under the “Resources for FEMA Housing Occupants.”
Current MHU Statistics
- As of Jan. 10, 1,965 households remain in FEMA-provided mobile homes.
- Households who have more than one unit: 105
- Three parishes account for the majority of units:
- Ascension: 210
- East Baton Rouge: 1,094
- 1,723 units are on a survivor’s property.
- units are in a commercial mobile home park.
- units are on sites FEMA prepared specifically for mobile homes.
Move-Ins
- At the peak in February 2017, more than 4,300 households had to call a FEMA-provided unit “home.”
- Overall, FEMA provided mobile homes to 4,490 households across 16 parishes.
- FEMA customized mobile home installations for each household. Measures included outfitting units for those with access and functional needs, transporting units, connecting utilities and securing units to maximize safety.
- Serving a population of about 12,000 survivors, FEMA hauled and installed enough units to create the equivalent of a small city.
- The first household moved into a mobile home on Aug. 24, 2016—less than two weeks after the presidential disaster declaration.
- The final move-in occurred April 14, 2017.
- More than 60 percent of move-ins occurred before 2017.
- At its peak from October 2016 through January 2017, about 220 units were readied and occupied each week.
For daily DR-4277-LA updates, visit our disaster webpage at www.fema.gov/disaster/4277. Follow us on Twitter @FEMARegion6 and Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA.
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