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Data provided by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) indicate that over 8,700 families who
resided in Calcasieu Parish prior to Hurricane Rita
have applied for temporary housing assistance.
FEMA estimates that 40 percent of that number do not
have a site where a temporary structure could be
placed; therefore, these families will likely need
to locate in an existing manufactured home park or a
FEMA group site. Additionally, 4,300 families from
six parishes in our region are seeking temporary
housing. These families resided in Cameron,
Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, Beauregard, Vernon and
Sabine Parishes, all of which were declared federal
disaster areas.
In light of these
extensive housing needs, the Calcasieu Parish Police
Jury has been working with FEMA, local
municipalities, and other governmental agencies such
as the Calcasieu Parish School Board and the U.S.
Postal Service to locate viable sites for temporary
housing. Several sites have been reviewed for land
zoning, flood zoning, infrastructure requirements,
transportation, security/law enforcement, general
geographical issues, and other pertinent concerns.
After reviewing approximately 60 sites parish wide,
the Police Jury has authorized construction to begin
on two sites. The first site is located on Beglis
Parkway, south of Sulphur. The other site is on
James Sudduth Parkway, in the eastern portion of the
City of Lake Charles.
The Police Jury has also
submitted eleven more potential sites for FEMA to
pursue, with more sites possibly forthcoming. Since
presenting a list of these sites to FEMA on December
20, 2005, three sites have been removed from
consideration due to environmental and other
concerns. The remaining eight sites under review by
FEMA are as follows:
"Click on Thumbnails
Below for Full Page Graphics"
Parish Wide Map
1. Carlyss
Drive (Unincorporated Calcasieu)
2. Highway
397 (Unincorporated Calcasieu)
3. North
Claiborne Street (Unincorporated Calcasieu)
4. Highway
27 South (Unincorporated Calcasieu)
5. Fairchild
Street (Town of Vinton)
6. Power
Centre Drive I (City of Lake Charles)
7. Power
Centre Drive II (City of Lake Charles)
8.
North Beglis Parkway
(City of Sulphur)
Area maps of these
locations will be available in Parish offices next
week as well as on the Police Jury web site.
In the December
correspondence, FEMA was notified that the Police
Jury, in cooperation with the affected
municipalities, would like to conduct additional
evaluations on said sites prior to the start of any
construction. These supplementary reviews are to
ensure that proper zoning approvals are obtained,
necessary permits are issued, legally required
public comment periods and hearings are held, and
that special concerns and remedies are put in
writing.
The need for temporary
housing is reviewed regularly by FEMA
representatives, who have indicated a preference for
addressing this region’s needs with the group sites
listed herein, along with possible additional
sites. As the need changes and as planning
proceeds, the proposed sites will receive on-going
evaluations by FEMA and local officials.
For more information,
contact the Parish Planning & Development Office at
721-3600. |
