Englewood woman struggles to get rid of problem-riddled FEMA trailer

A woman in Englewood doesn’t want, or need, her FEMA trailer anymore. She said she had many issues in the first three weeks of living in it.

Renee Evans got tired of waiting for FEMA to fix the problems, so she decided to move the trailer herself.

“I was happy to see it. But then there was nightmares,” said Evans.

Evans’ Englewood trailer she called home, was destroyed during Hurricane Ian. Four months later, she got a trailer from FEMA.

“I had to call the emergency number on the first night I was here,” Evans said.

During the first three weeks in the trailer, she had to call FEMA ten times to get things repaired. “You worked the microwave and the air conditioners on; you blew a breaker.”

She says the fuses would blow, the hot water heater didn’t work, the toilets backed up, and the refrigerator door broke. “It was just a place to sleep.”

On Friday, Evans’ new permanent home arrived, and she got permission from FEMA to move the temporary trailer in the meantime.

“I didn’t want to lose it waiting on FEMA to move this out. So, the people that brought me this place moved it out for me.”

Evans knows many people are still waiting on trailers, but she can’t wait for hers to be gone. “I appreciate what help I did get, but it wasn’t what I expected.”

Evans says she’s being passed around from call-taker to call-taker, trying to get help from FEMA to remove the trailer.

WINK News reached out to FEMA on her behalf. They said, “FEMA emergency housing, such as a small travel trailer or mobile home, is intended only for basic human needs. It is temporary housing of last resort when no other options are available after a major disaster. Everyone who is provided this emergency housing is given information about who to contact when the unit is no longer needed or requires maintenance.”