LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The first mobile homes will be delivered to eligible Arkansas residents affected by the Feb. 5 tornadoes beginning Saturday, April 5. The units will be transported from the Hope staging area to commercial and private sites throughout the state.
Priority is given to residents with destroyed homes who are currently living in crowded conditions or in a damaged home, as well as those with serious medical conditions or special needs, according to officials with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Housing is FEMA’s number one priority, and these mobile homes will offer a housing alternative where no other long-term solutions are available for residents,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Ken Riley. “FEMA is closely monitoring housing needs in affected areas and we will make these temporary housing units available as needed.”
FEMA began testing unoccupied mobile home units for formaldehyde at the Hope Staging Site in early March. FEMA will continue to test the indoor air quality of all manufactured housing units under consideration for use by disaster victims for formaldehyde emission levels. This is the latest in a range of proactive measures FEMA is taking in response to recent formaldehyde findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It is important to us to house these families as close to home as possible,” said State Coordinating Officer, Richard Griffin of ADEM. “ADEM in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Health and the Governor’s office evaluated the test results and accepted units based on the low levels of formaldehyde.”
