FEMA Looks at Disaster Aftermath Alternatives

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has expanded its effort to identify and evaluate alternatives to FEMA trailers and mobile homes for housing people in the aftermath of a disaster. The project is being conducted by the Joint Housing Solutions Group (JHSG), which was established in June 2006 by the agency's Disaster Assistance Directorate. The members of the JHSG include housing specialists from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); building science experts from the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS); and specialists from FEMA housing, policy, Individual Assistance, Long-Term Recovery and Public Assistance divisions. The group is exploring the latest in factory-built contemporary housing, modular homes based on universal design, housing built from recyclable materials, and innovative work by schools of architecture and design at universities across the country. Field teams composed of FEMA, HUD, NIBS and other specialists have been conducting site visits to evaluate models and prototypes for further consideration. To date, they have evaluated 40 different types of units located across the country. They have looked at modular ‘folding houses' that could transition to permanent housing, a steel modular modernist-design unit already in use in some areas, and housing units that basically are converted shipping containers. Costs range from $15,000 to $150,000, with most falling between $20,000 and $50,000. The group also will evaluate Gulf Coast-type cottages with front porches and other types of housing developed through the Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) for Katrina/Rita households. The inclusion of the AHPP units in the JHSG evaluation process will provide a unique opportunity to assess occupied homes under actual living conditions.