First FEMA Temporary Home Arrives in Eatontown

The first of FEMA's temporary housing units arrived in Eatontown Saturday morning.

The manufactured home is being installed at Woodlawn Village, a mobile home park located off of Route 35 in the borough.

The unit was originally located in Jackson at FEMA's staging ground at Six Flags Great Adventure, and is one of 50 that will be distributed across the state to families displaced by Hurricane Sandy.

FEMA Public Information Officer Christopher Mckniff said a local family that has been approved for temporary housing will be moving into the home as soon as it is ready.

Mckniff said he could not identify the family that is moving there, but said they will be allowed to stay in the temporary housing for 18 months and that FEMA will pay their utility costs.

The 2-bedroom unit is 12' x 46' and comes fully furnished, Mckniff said. They come with kitchen appliances, furniture, and living kits which include dishes, pots, pans, sheets and other essentials.

"They are for people who have lost everything in their lives," he said.

FEMA Public Affairs Officer Brett Hansard said the unit will be installed by the end of the day, but that it could take a few more days for it to have an electrical connection. He said the family could move in by the end of next week.

Mckniff said FEMA has been working to find mobile home parks like Woodlawn that have open lots where the units can be placed.

He said many of the applicants who are looking for temporary housing have asked for the homes to be installed closer to their devastated homes, but that the units can only be placed in areas that are not in a flood plain.

He added that FEMA has also made an effort to locate the mobile homes as close to the residents’ homes and their children’s schools as possible.

Hansard said there are two other open lots available in Woodlawn, but that no families have been selected for temporary housing at this time. "This is just one piece of the public housing puzzle," Hansard said.

Mckniff said FEMA is looking at other sites in Monmouth and Ocean counties that could accommodate the housing units, but that no other areas have been selected at this time.

"We are going to assess the need going forward and we are in communication with different parties to see what their plans are," Mckniff said.