Katrina cottage occupants face new displacement WAVELAND, Miss.  Thousands of cottages housing hurricane victims on the Mississippi Gulf Coast will be vacated next month, even though many of their occupants aren't ready to move and may have no place to go if forced out. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency distributed the one-, two- and three-bedroom structures to temporarily house displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There are still 2,300 occupied cottages in Mississippi, said Mike Womack, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Many of the cottages sit on residents' lots while they rebuild wrecked homes, he said. TRAILERS: Judge rejects class-action status in trailer suits According to agreements between the state agency and cities, the cottages will need to be emptied by the end of January and removed by March, Womack said. Housing advocates, residents and some local officials worry that forcing out residents, many of whom are trying to rebuild their homes, will aggravate an already dire housing situation. "If these (cottages) are gone, there's just not going to be enough affordable housing," said Tim Kellar, county administrator of Hancock County, which includes Waveland. "We don't have an alternate plan if that happens." FEMA distributed the cottages, free of charge, as an alternative to the temporary trailers that first housed hurricane victims. The program was applauded as Mississippi officials acquired and distributed thousands of the cottages; neighboring Louisiana lagged behind. The cottages were always meant to be temporary, not a permanent housing solution, Womack said. The structures may not withstand another powerful storm and many violate zoning rules, he said. "We just can't allow these cottages to stay in place where they're unsafe or degrading the property values of homes around them," Womack said. Rebuilding homes or finding alternative housing has been a slow, arduous process in post-Katrina Mississippi, said Andrew Canter of the Mississippi Center for Justice, a housing advocacy group. For example, none of the public housing units has been rebuilt in Bay St. Louis and Waveland, two of the hardest-hit coastal towns, leaving scores of residents with few options, he said. Forcing residents from the cottages next month could leave many hurricane victims homeless, he said. "Thousands of people will not be able to find new housing," Canter said. FEMA has offered to sell the cottages to residents, pending approval by the cities in which they reside, Canter said. Some of the cities, such as Waveland and Bay St. Louis, will only allow the cottages in trailer parks, he said. Waveland resident Mary Elizabeth Shaerrouse, 84, has lived in her two-bedroom cottage since October 2007. The cottage is parked on her property while her house is being rebuilt. Problems with a contractor have delayed construction until August 2009. She doesn't know what she'll do if she's forced out by the end of January, she said. "It's truly a roadblock," Shaerrouse said. "I'm just trying to make it to August." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more