Deadline to move from FEMA trailers passes
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Time is up for residents living in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) as a result of Hurricane Dennis in 2005. The deadline for residents living in FEMA housing was Jan. 10. It has been a year and a half since the category three hurricane slammed into the gulf coast and destroyed what Hurricane Ivan had left behind merely 10 months before. Local FEMA spokesperson Karen Szulczewski said there are 24 subsidized trailers in Santa Rosa County and 13 in Escambia County as of Jan. 4. Most of the trailers on Pensacola Beach were removed last August.

"The numbers are a lot lower," Szulczewski said. "We're continuing to work with non-profit groups and applicants to make sure everyone has a place to live."

One of those non-profit groups is the United Way of Santa Rosa County (UWSRC), which took over the county's case management responsibilities in July of 2006. UWSRC is working with the federal government to find permanent housing solutions. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance acts authorize the permanent donation of temporary FEMA housing for the sole purpose of providing additional temporary housing to disaster victims. The decision to authorize permanent donations is based on an evaluation of individual need, resource availability and impact on operational readiness. United Way administrators already enacted this donation program for the Oct. 31 Hurricane Ivan deadline and will retain possession of the units for one year. storm victims quarterly and provide property loss and liability insurance during that time frame. After one year passes, the trailers will be donated to a local mobile home park. UWSRC Administrator Stirling Boomhower said the progress since the Ivan has been smooth, but a little slower than anticipated as FEMA relocated the majority of its workforce to South Florida.

"As our mission continues to wind down, our job is to work ourselves out of a job," Szulczewski said.

FEMA and the Florida branch of United Way recently commended UWSRC's hurricane recovery efforts.

"It is difficult to express the extent of my gratitude for the Santa Rosa County leadership and the United Way of Santa Rosa County," said Scott R. Morris, director of FEMA's Florida Long-Term Recovery. "FEMA asked communities across the state of Florida to set up and help people still struggling to find long term housing following the 2004 hurricane season. Santa Rosa County and the United Way of Santa Rosa County Delivered far beyond my expectations."

One crucial element of the extended recovery process is the continuance of the Long Term Recovery Organization (LTRO). The LTRO in Santa Rosa County is a collection of government leaders, non-profit and church administrators who work together to share resources and knowledge.

"The Santa Rosa LTRO's work has been exemplary," United Way's Statewide Recovery Coordinator wrote in a letter to Boomhower. "You have managed disaster cases for two years' worth of storms, repairing homes and collaboratively meeting needs of residents in a creative and effective manner - exactly what an LTRO is supposed to do!"