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Stuck in the mud, FEMA trailer sinking

7 years 11 months 6 days ago Monday, December 19 2016 Dec 19, 2016 December 19, 2016 5:00 PM December 19, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ

DENHAM SPRINGS - A woman trying to rebuild after the flood says FEMA has her stuck. Her manufactured housing unit is sinking into her front yard and now she's got a mess with few answers.

Kerry Efferson says the whole process of getting a MHU on her Denham Springs property has been frustrating. Her property was inspected and flagged in October, paving the way for hope. For weeks, Efferson called to check on the MHU and the delivery date but no one ever came. Last Monday, she says FEMA told her the file was "inactive" because of inactivity. Last Wednesday, Efferson says a crew showed up and started pushing a MHU onto her property.

But it wasn't done properly.

"They were determined," she said. "They were going to park that FEMA trailer, no matter what damage it did."

The trailer is sinking into the ground, mud up to the axles. One side of the trailer is five inches off the ground the other side is two feet off the ground. Ruts cover her yard and are filling with water. The rest of the yard is mush and Efferson says she's been told the trailer is unlivable.

"Frustrated," she said. "Very frustrated."

Efferson says supervisors have been to her house nearly every day since Wednesday but no action has been taken.

FEMA says each property should be prepped before a manufactured housing unit is delivered and should never sit on top of grass. That can include blocks, crush limestone and a tarp. Efferson's property was not prepped and instead the MHU was drove right onto her property.

Below the trailer are the words "block here" every few feet indicating where blocks should be placed to elevate the structure.

At the rate things are going, Efferson says she's not sure she'll ever see the inside of the MHU that's destroyed her front yard. In the meantime, her family of three is living in a one bedroom trailer in the driveway while they rebuild their home that took on about 20 inches of water.

"We were approved, they've messed up the operation of it and we're the ones that are suffering for it," she said.

No word yet from FEMA on when her trailer will be fixed or moved. FEMA does say it will repair the land that was torn up.

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