BATON ROUGE — The state managed Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program continues to help those affected by the storm to get placed in travel trailers as part of their recovery, according to the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
So far, 21 travel trailers have been placed across St. James, St. Charles and Terrebonne Parishes.
Governor John Bel Edwards announced the program three weeks ago as a bridge to help families receive the units ahead of the window FEMA projected to start its Direct Housing mission.
GOHSEP was tasked with developing the program, purchasing the trailers, establishing staging areas and priority zones with leaders from the impacted parishes and installing the units. The first families received their units within two weeks of the new program being announced. The speed of installation work is expected to increase as the program grows.
Another 61 units have been deployed to sites to begin the installation process in five of the parishes hardest hit by Ida. The total number of travel trailers transported to staging areas at Blue Bayou Water Park and the Houma Civic Center has climbed to 476. 1,300 trailers have been purchased by the state.
The deployment and installation work will be similar to other recovery programs, meaning contractors will mostly focus on one region at a time to make the program faster and to cut down on travel time for work crews. Group sites are also being developed at RV and mobile home park locations to meet the needs for renters or others.
“Governor Edwards and those of us at GOHSEP recognized the need to help bridge the shelter and housing needs. We appreciate FEMA allowing us this opportunity to take this step ahead of the ramp up for its Direct Housing program,” said GOHSEP Acting Director Casey Tingle. “Housing issues are typically some of the most difficult and frustrating part of recovery. Any new resource that can be used like this first-of-its kind shelter mission involving trailers will help the state with this event and possibly future events. I appreciate the hard work of our GOHSEP staff, our parish partners and contractors in getting the initial steps resolved so quickly. It is the goal of everyone involved to make this program a success, because it means we have given hurricane survivors the help they need. It’s also important to point out that more traditional shelter operations continue in most of the impacted areas for those waiting on the state or federal programs.”
The Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program offers non-congregate sheltering, which is different from traditional sheltering options to provide a living space that offers some level of privacy. Sheltering options may include hotels, base camps, crew barges or recreational vehicles (RVs), including travel trailers that typically hitch to an existing vehicle. While this program is funded through FEMA, it is run entirely by the state.
To register for the program or find out what sheltering options are available in affected parishes visit IdaShelteringla.com [gov.louisiana.gov] or call (844) 268-0301 or for TTY services call (844) 458-1806.
Residents can check the availability of shelters in their areas by texting LAShelter to 898211 or dial 211 to locate a shelter or by visiting www.getagameplan.org. [gov.louisiana.gov]
Find more tips on weather and preparedness on GOHSEP’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Listen to conversations on all aspects of emergency management by downloading GOHSEP’s The Get A Game Plan Podcast. You can receive emergency alerts on most smartphones and tablets by downloading the new Alert FM App. It is free for basic service. The Get A Game Plan App is another resource available to help you and your family prepare for any type of emergency. You can download the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide and find other information at www.getagameplan.org.
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