FEMA seeks vacant property for evacuees
The Warren County Board of Realtors has been asked to provide a different sort of aid to Hurricane Katrina victims — housing.
The request comes from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is trying to find temporary and long-term housing for some of the estimated 1 million people displaced by the disaster.
“FEMA is asking us to think outside the box,” said Warren County Board of Realtors representative Kelley Snyder. “They are asking us to submit any type of idea we have for housing these people. FEMA is trying to fan it out so one state doesn’t take too much of the brunt. They want individuals who might have property to go through us.”
Some of the housing will need to be long-term, especially for families with children who are looking to get them enrolled in school. Available hotel rooms and vacant rental property are two ideas suggested by FEMA.
Church fellowship halls and community centers are also possibilities, but one main sticking point is working bathroom and shower facilities need to be available.
Snyder said there is also the possibility FEMA will pay to lease the space.
“After watching the footage, you realize how lucky you are,” said Snyder. “For all the families and the children affected, this is a way to help them get their life back to normal.”
Anyone with available property is asked to call the Warren County Board of Realtors at 473-9433. The board of realtors will then turn over the information to FEMA, which will then get back in touch with the property owner if the agency is interested in the proposal.