FEMA Issues RFI for Use of Modular Housing for Disaster Relief

After years of building relationships with leaders at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), MBI was informed this morning that FEMA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for modular manufacturers to submit plans and capability information to be considered for projects using modular homes as part of future disaster relief.

This RFI follows our industry's recent success in providing FEMA with modular homes to assist with the recovery efforts following the wildfires in Maui. This is a significant opportunity for the industry to provide information to FEMA so that modular manufacturers and builders can be included in its future disaster housing plans.

As seen in Maui, the speed that the modular building industry can provide in response to a disaster is unparalleled. For that project, the first 15 homes were built in two weeks, and the first 169 within 60 days.

“No other industry can do that,” said Jon Hannah-Spacagna, MBI's government affairs director. “If the government already had these contracts in place with a modular manufacturer when future disasters occur, it would be as simple as saying, ‘We need 200 homes in this state, go.’ They would already have the design in hand and know what they’re going to build. The only thing left to do would be to begin production and the homes could be placed on site even faster.”

Deadline to provide information to FEMA through this RFI is March 31, 2025, at 4pm EST. Contact Jon Hannah-Spacagna for details.