FEMA to send trailers to Volusia County, help displaced hurricane victims

Demie Johnson,Brittany Caldwell
·2 min read

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will send trailers to Volusia County for hurricane victims to use as temporary housing.

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The agency said hundreds of people across the county are still living in transitional housing or hotels, because of damage like the ones seen in Daytona Beach.

In Daytona Beach’s Midtown, rows and rows of empty and abandoned homes line the street.

Midtown is a low-income area, and most of the neighbors who still live in their homes are using what little money they have to make the homes livable again.

Read: Volusia County to use sandbag system to help prevent more beach erosion, damage

FEMA is providing resources for hundreds of residents who have no other option.

Tisha Owen forced her way through several feet of floodwater last September following Hurricane Ian.

“I didn’t know who to call,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Months after the hurricane, she said there had not been much progress on repairs.

Read: Thousands still waiting for insurance to pay months after pair of hurricanes

“I still am missing doors in my hallway and the frames are swelling, and I still need money,” Owen said.

Owen said she knows her situation isn’t as bad as some of her neighbors.

FEMA shared information with Eyewitness News Friday.

More than $80 million in assistance has been handed out to more than 30,000 Volusia County households.

Read: Florida Disaster Fund awards $100,000 to Osceola REDI for hurricane recovery

Trailers will soon be placed throughout the county for families with nowhere else to go. FEMA will place 15 trailers in Volusia County to start.

The agency said thousands of people across Volusia County were given a temporary shelter or money to repair their homes.

Hundreds of people are still living in hotels paid for by FEMA.

They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
Erosion from Hurricane Nicole revealed a mysterious structure on the beach in Volusia County.
Erosion from Hurricane Nicole revealed a mysterious structure on the beach in Volusia County.

The agency currently leases more than 40 units, including apartments, condos or homes to displaced families.

Owen said the trailers are a good sign but seem like temporary a solution.

“That money needs to be replaced with houses,” she said.

There are still more than a dozen beachside structures deemed unsafe, including a mix of businesses, hotels and condos.

The county will host a series of meetings next week to discuss mitigation efforts ahead of the next hurricane season.

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