Hundreds of gray mobile homes are being prepared at Hickory Regional Airport to provide temporary housing for residents in Western North Carolina who lost their homes due to Hurricane Helene. These homes, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are currently being stored at the Hickory staging site, which serves as the hub for impacted counties across the region.
FEMA’s mobile units, sourced from Selma, Alabama, and Cumberland, Maryland, are brought to staging sites like Hickory as needed to respond to local disasters. Once a unit is approved, it can be quickly moved to its designated site, where it is connected to utilities, inspected, and then made ready for families to move in.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell highlighted that each home is tailored to the specific needs of the families, with the goal of helping jump-start the recovery process. This initiative is just one part of the larger recovery effort, which will involve a collaborative effort from charities, nonprofits, private donations, and government assistance to ensure that all displaced families are properly housed. Some residents may opt to stay on their properties, even in tents, out of a desire to safeguard their belongings or use FEMA funds for rebuilding instead of temporary lodging.
