Silver lining to the foreclosure crisis - For Tornado victims anyway

I was thinking about this yesterday as I saw an article about Alabama town banning FEMA trailers. Why not use homes that have been foreclosed on and are sitting empty?

Well, here it is:

Joplin victims offered existing homes
FEMA also says it will consider bringing in trailers

JOPLIN, Mo. — Some of the people left homeless by the Joplin tornado could be placed in rental homes nearly an hour's drive away, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday it will consider bringing in trailers, as it did for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, if enough homes are not available.

FEMA's first option for housing the thousands of displaced is to find them existing rental housing within a 55-mile radius of Joplin, because isn't much housing left in in the city of nearly 50,000 residents that was left badly damaged by the May 22 tornado, spokeswoman Susie Stonner told The Associated Press. Nearly a third of the city was damaged by the violent storm.

Stonner said that despite the distance, putting people in permanent housing is preferable to trailers — especially in an area prone to tornadoes and severe weather.

"Wouldn't you prefer to be in a stable building over a mobile home?" she asked. Stonner also noted that getting things like water, sewer lines and developing pads for trailers would take substantial time. Temporary housing will be made available for up to 18 months. Some people along the Gulf Coast still live in FEMA trailers nearly six years after Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43217036/ns/us_news-life/

At least there is something good out of the housing crisis.