GULF COAST REBUILDING

Hammering out new housing
Mississippi apartment owners confront labor shortages, rising wages, slow insurance payments in push to get damaged units livable again

“The rest of my family, their houses were completely underwater,” said Edelen, who grew up on the Gulf Coast. Only one of her extended family members had a house that was still livable after the hurricane, and about half a dozen relatives moved in there, said Edelen.

Affordable housing is critical to the economic revitalization of the storm-struck areas. Thousands of apartments were damaged or demolished by the hurricane, shrinking the coast’s housing supply so much that rents have soared by 25% or more in many areas. And that’s when residents can find permanent housing. As many as 10,000 people on the Gulf Coast were still living in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers as of March, officials have said.

10,000? Seems VERY low.