As people gut their homes in areas flooded after Hurricane Isaac, they're thinking about where they'll live in the meantime. Eleven parishes across the metro area are now eligible for FEMA's temporary housing assistance. The homes must be inaccessible or unlivable due to Hurricane Isaac damage, or lack of power or water.
"We still got some inner walls to do, we got to go four foot up, because you can see how high this is, the bottom of the installation where the water was," said LaPlace homeowner Michael Dardinger.
Dardinger and his wife, with the help of some family and a few friends, have begun the long process of gutting their home.
"We don't know what we're going to do yet. We haven't had a chance to talk about it because right now the main concern is to get through today, get as much out here as I can today," said Dardinger.
Dardinger and his family have lived in the Spring Meadow subdivision in LaPlace for seven years directly behind Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain. He says his home is 9 feet above sea level and never thought he'd be doing this.
"Not in my wildest dreams, but I knew as soon as that storm sat down there and just churned, I knew we was in trouble by the way it was hitting the lake. I just knew it," said Dardinger.
Now he, and thousands of homeowners hardest hit by Isaac have the opportunity to apply for temporary housing assistance as they work to rebuild their homes.
"People right now are focused on gutting their homes, and they're kind of still in shell shock, but the next stage is they're going to need a place to stay, and our job is to help find that place," said St. John the Baptist Pres., Natalie Robottom.
Robottom says there is an option to bring in FEMA HUD certified mobile homes, which could be two or three bedrooms.
"There are some existing mobile home parks that are already zoned for trailers. They have open slots. So we've pulled up, and we're calculating the number of available slots in existing mobile home parks, or where they're already zoned properly, " said Robottom.
In St. John, Robottom says there is an existing ordinance in place on FEMA placement so a resident can't just put a trailer on their property while their home is being repaired.
"The council has an opportunity in dire needs to provide some type of temporary variance," said Robottom.
But, right now until that decision is made, FEMA says their first preference is to get people into temporary housing.
"Whether or not that type of housing will be used will depend on what housing stock is available to get people into housing that's close to their work, and close to their schools," said FEMA Rep. Bob Howard.
As people like Michael Dardinger and his family work as hard, and as fast as they can to get back into their home.
"I've got to get three kids home. This is our livelihood right here. So, we're doing the best we can," said Dardinger.
Right now, FEMA is covering hotel costs up to Sunday Sept. 16th. We're told that could change, and housing assistance will be based on individual cases. Both homeowners and renters are eligible. The first step for those needing housing assistance, is to register with FEMA.
1 800-621-FEMA (3362)
www.disasterassistance.gov
