Disaster declaration sends repairs, new homes to reservation

PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency says roughly 200 manufactured homes have been turned over to tribal residents a year after a federal disaster declaration for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

FEMA initiated a permanent housing construction program to address the extreme housing need on the reservation after the severe weather disaster. Officials identified over 300 households eligible for repairs or for replacement with a new manufactured home.

The agency says 196 new manufactured homes have been turned over to residents. Eighty five homes had been repaired as of Aug. 2, while a remaining 23 homes are expected to be fixed by early September.

President Barack Obama signed the disaster declaration in August 2015.