FEMA Trailers On The Auction Block

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast FEMA stepped in to help, buying thousands of mobile homes and travel trailers for hurricane survivors to live in, temporarily. Many of those trailers

Tuesday, February 20th 2007, 8:01 pm

By: News On 6

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast FEMA stepped in to help, buying thousands of mobile homes and travel trailers for hurricane survivors to live in, temporarily. Many of those trailers went to those in need, but thousands sat unused in Hope, Arkansas. News on 6 anchor Craig Day reports now some of those trailers are up for bid, and you may get a good deal.

When we first went to Hope, Arkansas in April of last year thousands of mobile homes and travel trailers were parked at the municipal airport. In an effort to help hurricane victims, the Federal Emergency Management Agency purchased 25,000 homes and staged them in Hope. It was eight months after the hurricanes hit, and thousands were still there.

Congressman Mike Ross' had this to say last April.

"Over 10,000, brand new, fully furnished manufactured homes sitting here at the Hope airport on a hay meadow, that's not helping anyone," he said.

New Orleans native Tiffany Williams relocated to Tulsa two days before Katrina hit.

"It's actually just disappointing at this point, because I have a lot of family and friends that were pretty much waiting in line to get housing and what have you," she said.

Now FEMA is putting many of those travel trailers on the auction block through the General Services Administration. On the agencies website there are photographs, descriptions of trailers up for bid and damage information. Right now the bids range from $2,000 to $10,000. Whatever the trailers go for, Tiffany Williams hopes the proceeds still benefit hurricane survivors in some way.

"We have people I know personally that are still in survival mode,â€ Williams said. â€œYou know Katrina is still happening to people."

The travel trailers are being sold as-is, but many include furniture and appliances inside. They each need at least $1,500 worth of repairs. If youâ€™d like to bid on a FEMA trailer visit General Services Administrationâ€™s website, gsaauctions.gov.