The manufactured housing industry is ready to replace homes in Minot. Manufactured and modular home builders have the unique ability to build homes fast and in large quantity. Many Minot area residents are shopping for new homes, anxious to find something before winter. The area home retail centers are ready to help, but when the customers ask \u201cwhere can we put these homes?\u201d there are no answers. Why is the government moving so slow to help open lots for these people. Home removal in existing manufactured home communities is a major hurdle. In past press conferences, existing manufactured home communities were identified by FEMA as the fastest way to get people back into their permanent homes.<\/p>\n
What is being done to remove homes in these communities that are destroyed? The homeowners in most cases can\u2019t afford or coordinate the removal of these homes and in some cases they have completely abandoned their home. FEMA indicated in a previous press conference that they were looking for ways to expedite the process of removing flooded homes from these communities.<\/p>\n
Time is running out. The potential for many homes to be replaced this year in established locations is fading away. The Minot and surrounding area has eight manufactured home communities that were flooded, which represents around 800 lots. These manufactured home communities have to do infrastructure repair and replacement, but the homes must be removed to be able to do that. The government did so much to remove trash and demolition materials from all of the valley neighborhoods, but it seems they left the manufactured home communities to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n
Having 800 lots sitting idle through this winter would be a shame. While the government is building lots for temporary housing, 800 lots for permanent housing sit idle. A plan needs to be in place in days not weeks and not months.<\/p>\n
Lance Kennedy,<\/p>\n
President of the North Dakota Manufactured Housing Association,<\/p>\n