People waiting for FEMA trailers after Hurricane Ian

Keeping people near their communities after losing homes to Hurricane Ian is the goal when it comes to FEMA moving trailers into Southwest Florida.

It took FEMA a few months to get the trailers into the area after Hurricane Charley in 2004, and the same is expected this time around.

For the time being, the plan is to allow people who are rebuilding to stay in trailers, either their own or FEMA’s on their property. This would be the plan for Charlotte County, Lee County, and Fort Myers Beach.

But, exactly when those FEMA trailers will arrive in Southwest Florida remains unclear.

Mike Wade, a FEMA spokesperson talked about that Thursday morning on WINK News.

“I wish I could give you a timeline or when this is going to occur but at the same time, we don’t want people to expect this to happen overnight,” Wade said.

Claire Jubb is the assistant county administrator in Charlotte County. She was with the county for Hurricane Harley and remembers working with FEMA.

“We saw them initially right after the storm but it took a while to actually get units on the ground so people can live in them,” Jubb said.

It took until Nov. for those trailers to arrive and most of them were part of the infamous FEMA Village. It helped those with nowhere to go after the storm but became a problem once those people moved out.

The county identified 600 units that are unsafe or destroyed and that number is rising. For Hurricane Ian, the county is allowing people to have RVs or trailers outside their homes and live in them for two years.

“We need to keep people in their homes and close to their communities,” Jubb said. “We need to do everything we can to remove barriers to the aid they’re getting from FEMA and from other sources.”

Also, for those waiting for help from FEMA, their spokesperson said Thursday morning, that until you provide proof of loss on your home showing what your insurance company paid you, they can not duplicate the amount you’re eligible for through insurance.