CAMERON, LA HOMELESS GET PLACE TO RESIDE
BY JOHN GUIDROZ
AMERICAN PRESS
LAKE CHARLES, LA
DECEMBER, 2008

The Country Aire Mobile Home Park wants to fill nearly 100 lots with temporary homes for Cameron Parish residents left homeless by Hurricane Ike.

Spokesman Mike Turner said Tuesday that eligible applicants may qualify for a three-bedroom, one-bathroom mobile home from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA will pay for maintenance, electricity, water, sewer, trash and lawn care for 18 months or, in some cases, longer. He said the first lease was officially signed on Tuesday.

Qualified applicants could receive a temporary home in as early as three weeks, Turner said. The park is at 2465 La. 397.

He said the housing option is the "best of what can be offered" since FEMA issued preliminary flood maps that put more than 80 percent of Cameron in a high-risk flooding zone, or V zone.

Since the maps were released, several Cameron residents in the commercial fishing industry have decided to live in tents or purchase campers to stay inside the parish.

Turner said the mobile homes are an "opportunity for Cameron residents to have a home for themselves."

The mobile homes can withstand winds of up to 110 mph, and each unit is inspected for formaldehyde before it is delivered to the park, he said.

For Ike, Turner said, park officials are being more selective in the application process than they were for Hurricane Rita. About 30 mobile homes at the park are occupied by Rita victims.

"We missed the mark because we just housed people and walked away," Turner said. "We had our park taken over, and it took us four to five months to get eviction orders. We didn’t know how to get the bad eggs out."

He said each applicant will undergo a background check and that park officials will not accept applications from violent offenders or registered sex offenders.

A warning system will apply to each occupant, with first-time offenders receiving a written warning. Two-time offenders will be required to sign up for the Families in Need of Service program, and residents will be evicted after the third offense.

Park officials will schedule regular neighborhood meetings for new families to acquaint them with existing residents.

He said the park is working with the Louisiana State University AgCenter to provide support services for new residents. Those services include in-home family counseling; classes in parenting, conflict resolution, health and nutrition, financial planning and life skills; career counseling; and job training.

Turner said park officials are meeting with state and FEMA officials to work out free daily bus service for residents to and from Cameron Parish.

For information, call case adviser Lance Barker at 337-436-6881.

PARK INVITES IKE VICTIMS
MOBILE HOMES OPEN FOR CAMERON RESIDENTS LOOKING FOR HOUSING
BY VANESSA C. DEGGINS
AMERICAN PRESS
LAKE CHARLES, LA
DECEMBER, 2008

The Country Aire Mobile Home Park held an open house Sunday for Cameron residents left homeless by Hurricane Ike. 

The park — owned by Mobile Enterprises of Austin, Texas — is hoping to fill nearly 100 lots through the Direct Housing Assistance Program managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Eligible applicants may qualify for three-bedroom, one-bathroom mobile homes for up to 18 months from the date of the disaster. FEMA will pay for maintenance, electricity, water, sewer, trash and lawn care.

"The homes can withstand winds up to 110 mph, and each unit is inspected for formaldehyde before it is delivered to the park, said Mobile Enterprises spokesman Mike Turner.

He estimated about 10 people came to the open house and about 40 have called for information.

Mary Johnson, 62, of Cameron was displaced from her home by Ike and came to apply for a spot in the trailer park.

"I had some friends who lived here after Rita, and a trailer would be better for me," Johnson said. She is living in a hotel in Lake Charles with rental assistance.

Lance Barker, a regional manager for Mobile Enterprises, was on hand to help interested parties through the initial application process.

Parker said he previously worked for FEMA, mainly in Southwest Louisiana.

He said FEMA will determine applicants’ eligibility, but he said he hoped his knowledge of the required paperwork and documents would help expedite the process.

Turner said the park at 2465 La. 397 is "the best of what can be offered."

FEMA has said it will probably avoid placing temporary housing in Cameron Parish because about 80 percent of the parish is considered to be a high-risk flooding area. 

Residents whose homes meet National Federal Insurance Program guidelines could lose their insurance if noncompliant structures are put on their properties in Cameron Parish. Turner said Mobile Enterprises learned from its past mistakes, which left the park with a bad reputation. "After Hurricane Rita, we allowed 90 families to move into the park," Turner said. He said most were good people, but because the park management was not more Discerning, others caused problems there. The illegal drug sales and break-ins were reported by residents.

Turner said the park managers were able to evict FEMA occupants who didn’t adhere to established policies, and a neighborhood watch program was begun there.

He said each applicant will undergo a background check, and park officials will not accept applications from violent offenders or registered sex offenders.


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