Gov’t Setting Up Post Disaster Housing Quarters In New York





(MYFOXNY) Crews have set up the nation’s first urban post disaster housing prototype. The three container units are at the corner of Cadman Plaza East and Red Cross Place in downtown Brooklyn, near Dumbo adjacent to the New York City Office of Emergency Management(OEM) headquarters.

Because of the city’s high population density and the desire to resettle as many residents as possible in their former neighborhoods, the OEM and the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) are developing a new approach to interim housing that provides higher-density living spaces than the single-household homes or trailers typically used for post-disaster housing.

They created a blueprint for the manufactured housing industry to use to create post-disaster housing, including requirements for safety, environmental quality, durability, and universal design.

In 2012, OEM secured funding from FEMA to build a prototype and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was designated as project manager for the prototype construction.

The prototype includes furniture and spaces for cooking, bathing, living and sleeping.

Officials say the stack-able apartments are ideal for the densely populated city.

The site for the prototype is a parking lot that measures approximately 40’ x 100’, owned by the city. The site was chosen because it presents many of the challenges for post-disaster housing deployment in urban areas.





