VAN BUREN, Mo. -- With Memorial Day just 10 days away the housing options for some Van Buren residents who were forced from their homes earlier this month by historic flooding are shrinking.
On Wednesday, Carter County Emergency Management Agency Director Curt Majors posted this message on Facebook: "I'm getting several calls today from people who will be homeless in the next few days because of hotels or rental cabins booking up for the tourist season.
"If you or a family member are in need of housing, please send a direct Facebook message to us or call Van Buren City Hall at 573-323-4335 and leave your name, number of people in your household and contact information. Please share!"
Since he posted that message, Majors said, he has identified six families so far.
Each one will have to find somewhere else to stay, some "early, on Monday, some late, as of Friday," he said.
The effected families are "trickling in from the post," Majors said. "I say there is a few more" who will be in contact.
Majors said he received a Facebook message at 6:18 a.m. today, saying "I'm living with a family member right now (but) the situation is not going to work for much longer."
The person has been staying in Dexter, but no longer can "afford going back and forth," Majors said. The person is trying "to find something" closer to Van Buren.
What is going to happen to these families, Majors said, he doesn't have a "great answer" at this time.
"Honestly, it's a big challenge," Majors said. "Many of them work locally. To find housing 45 miles to 55 miles away makes it difficult for them to still go to work and still carry on a normal life."
Majors said he can't imagine how this is not a dire situation for these families.
"I've never been homeless; I can't imagine how they feel not having a permanent housing solution," Majors said.
For some, he said, the temporary housing has included a "few nights paid for by the Red Cross" or paid for by other non-profits at various locations. The residents, he said, have been scattered, with some staying in Poplar Bluff and Dexter.
The Red Cross, he said, provided vouchers for two to four nights, but after that, a lot of the residents don't have the money to stay elsewhere and are in need of additional assistance.
"Many of the rooms have been donated by whoever owns the hotels or cabins" for the flood victims' use, Majors explained.
What's happening, he said, shouldn't be perceived as these businesses "kicking people to the curb," but it's a matter of the rooms having been "booked well in advance," such as a deposit paid for a cabin for 15 family members to "come and meet from all over the country."
Majors described some of the businesses having been "super generous," saying "come stay here, don't pay us a dime, but I know (those businesses) depend on the revenue of cabins for the summer to pay their mortgages and provide for their own families."
About 20 families, according to Majors, still are staying in hotels and temporary locations. That number, he said, is down as some have found places to rent.
"I think it has been a steady decrease in getting out of hotels and short-term rental cabins" since the flooding began April 30, Majors said. "I think we've come to a roadblock where we are out of rental properties, so, now, our remaining residents are left with little to no options."
Majors said any available rental properties "filled up real fast."
Carter County, Majors said, has a population, which can't afford to pay rent at another location.
Someone earning minimum wage can live in Carter County on that salary, but the same can't be said for working in Poplar Bluff and living in Carter County, he said.
For someone making $8 to $15 an hour, they are "left with very little options," Majors said.
"I've been working with community partners, like Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army and South Central Community Action Agency" regarding funding and housing opportunities, Majors said.
"Early on, we requested housing, like FEMA trailers, from the state," Majors said. "That request was denied because we have not yet had a FEMA declaration."