(C) Florida Phoenix
This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



DeSantis directs state officials to ‘immediately’ provide travel trailers to displaced Ian victims [1]

['Danielle J. Brown', 'More From Author', '- December']

Date: 2022-12-16  

Months after Florida was hit by the destructive Hurricane Ian, a slowdown continues in getting travel trailers out to displaced Floridians whose homes were battered or destroyed.

The efforts involve the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday directed Kevin Guthrie, the state’s emergency management director “not to wait on FEMA and to start placing those trailers on properties immediately.”

The issue came up Friday, when DeSantis was at a press conference related to bill signings for property insurance reforms and hurricane disaster relief. Guthrie, the division of emergency management director, was in attendance at the event in Fort Myers Beach, one of the most damaged areas related to Hurricane Ian.

“One of the issues that we have been dealing with is FEMA does this housing program. Kevin (Guthrie) didn’t want to necessarily have to wait on that,” DeSantis said. “So we launched our own state program, which is really the first of its kind. And up until this point, Kevin’s been waiting for FEMA to waive restrictions on the placement of travel trailers in certain flood zone areas, and that slowed down the ability to get travel trailers to folks who need it on their own property.”

The issue appears to be in part due to placing travel trailers in certain flood zones. The Florida Phoenix has reached out to the DeSantis administration and the state’s emergency management division for clarification and is awaiting response. Communication officials from both agencies said they would look into the situation.

DeSantis continued Friday: “And here’s the thing, it’s one thing– the repairs are going to be done by next hurricane season. It doesn’t matter right now to put a trailer in a flood zone, given the season that we’re in. And I understand why you wouldn’t do that in August, but we’re in a situation now where it’s going to help a lot of people to be able to repair their property and to get back on their feet. And so today, I’m directing Kevin Guthrie not to wait on FEMA and to start placing those trailers on properties immediately.”

The Florida Phoenix previously reported about a FEMA initiative to assist Hurricane Ian victims called Direct Housing Assistance, where victims can apply to receive temporary housing options such as travel trailers and manufactured homes.

In early December, things appeared to be slow moving for that program, with only 13 households accessing the direct housing assistance from FEMA.

It’s not clear if DeSantis is referring to that direct housing assistance program. The Phoenix has reached out for updated numbers on how many households have received temporary housing from the direct housing assistance program, and the federal agency is awaiting response.

Cecily Fong, a media relations specialist for FEMA, explained that providing temporary housing units is a “complicated process.”

“In order for a person to benefit from a housing unit, they have to abide by rules and regulations — which would include whether or not it’s going to be located in a floodway. And that’s, unfortunately, that has been a barrier to those trailers being placed,” Fong said on Friday. “And then there’s just sort of a logistical timeline of identifying who’s eligible for that sort of assistance, getting those assets there so that they can be used. So it’s a complicated process. It does take time and we definitely understand that that can be frustrating.”

At the Fort Myers press conference Kevin Guthrie said:

“The state of Florida is just going to get it done. I mean, it’s plain and simple. We’re just going to get it done. You know, the governor talked to us yesterday and said ‘hey look, I want to get these trailers down. I want people to get back on the road to recovery,’” Guthrie told the crowd. “And said ‘sir, we could do it. I don’t know if we’re going to get reimbursed.’ And he says ‘I don’t care. We’re going to get it done.’”

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/12/16/desantis-directs-state-officials-to-immediately-provide-travel-trailers-to-displaced-ian-victims/

Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/