The shortage of affordable housing is one of the largest unresolved issues in commercial real estate today. Huge numbers of renters are struggling to find a place to live within their means, and the problem is only getting worse in the current economic environment. Since the growing demand for affordable housing presents an opportunity for unconventional solutions, the manufactured housing industry may be well-positioned to reap the benefits of that pent-up demand.

Manufactured homes have long been overlooked as a niche residential sector, yet they comprise a significant portion of the U.S. housing stock. According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, manufactured homes comprise 6 percent of the total housing stock nationwide and 9 percent of all new single-family construction starts. There are an estimated 6.7 million occupied manufactured homes in the United States. In 2019, 4,000 new manufactured homes shipped at an average sale price of $84,600 excluding land acquisition costs. This makes manufactured homes one of the fastest-growing housing segments.

READ ALSO: Manufactured Housing Powers Through

Todays manufactured home communities are quite different from the mobile home parks of the past. Manufactured homes are built with the same materials and techniques as in-place built homes. They include many of the same luxury amenities found in traditionally built new homes including high-end amenities, like granite countertops and artisanal fixtures. The construction cost for these homes is roughly half the price per square foot of in-place built homes, while still boasting the same luxury amenities of their traditional counterparts.

Approximately 40 percent of manufactured homes are built on land leased from land-leased communities. There are an estimated 50,000 of these communities nationwide. Roughly three-quarters of these homes are owner-occupied. The average length of tenancy for these properties is measured in decades. Nearly half of all manufactured home communities are located in rural areas away from the urban core; however, there is a growing interest in suburban areas.

There are challenges limiting where manufactured housing communities can be established. Many state, regional and local zoning ordinances and homeowners associations prohibit construction of manufactured homes. This is mostly due to outdated stereotypes about trailer parks and their perceived effects on property values and crime rates.

Modern manufactured homes do not bring these problems, but attitudes towards them have been slower to change. The rising demand for affordable housing may create an opportunity to rethink the policies that have kept manufactured homes away from the urban cores.

There are very few mobile home parks out there that were built later than the 1970s, said manufactured home park investor Frank Rolfe, co-owner of MHP Funds, the sixth-largest owner of mobile home parks nationwide.

While manufactured housing and mobile homes are sometimes used interchangeably, manufactured housing generally refers to home units built after 1976 and in adherence withthe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards.

Thats because it has been difficult for park owners to find municipalities that will approve the construction of a new park, and even expansions of existing parks can prove challenging.

Out of 500 mobile home parks that we have collectively owned over the past 25 years we have not succeeded in building more than 10 to twenty expansions to existing parks, Rolfe added.

Christopher Ptomey, executive director for the Urban Land Institute Terwilliger Center for Housing, believes that perceptions are beginning to change. From the outside, a manufactured single-family home looks absolutely no different from a 100 percent stick-built building, he said. As the technologies have improved, we have seen them move into more urban and suburban settings.

So, according to Ptomey, There are important aspects to applying manufacturing processes to housing that offer real opportunities to address some of the affordability challenges.

According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, 22 million people in the U.S. live in manufactured housing. The median household income for manufactured housing residents is under $30,000 per year. In many markets, these are the most inexpensive housing units that do not rely on government subsidies.

MHI is working to overcome some of the public perception problems that the sector has. Primary among them is the belief that the product is of low quality and that park owners are predatory. MHI CEO Lesli Goochwho insists on the term manufactured housing as opposed to mobile homeshas been working hard to change those perceptions.

The vast majority of park owners and operators care about their residents, she stressed, and some of the newer manufactured homes are brand new homes that are a quality product that have the features that consumers are looking for today.

The manufactured housing industry is benefiting from urban sprawl. As the suburbs continue to expand farther from the city centers, places that were once exurbs are becoming part of widening metro areas. These areas have avoided the NIMBY problem by being in place in advance of development.

The traditional homeownership prices have steadily increased at a significantly faster rate than median household income. Homeownership is currently out of reach for many renters and growing more difficult every year. Manufactured housing has the potential to benefit from this widening gap.

Manufactured housing is the only form of detached affordable housing in America, said Rolfe, noting that in his parks the majority of homes are already paid off and residents have no greater hurdle than lot rent, which averages nationwide at $280 a month.

For manufactured housing investors, the barrier for entry is much lower than with other asset classes. A manufactured home community only needs shovel-ready land with access to water, sewer and electricity. As the structures themselves are owned by the residents, the maintenance costs are limited to landscaping, common area maintenance and utility repair. Longer rates of tenancy equate to lower rates of turnover. With low acquisition and operating costs, manufactured housing can be a very lucrative investment.

Go here to see the original:
Why Manufactured Housing Is the New Affordable Housing - Commercial Property Executive

DOVER Neighbors jumped into action to try to help a woman who was severely burned after her mobile home went up in flames Wednesday morning.

It was absolutely terrifying, said Gary Storms, who ran over to the home at 14 Polly Ann Park and ripped off his shirt to cover the injured woman after she escaped.

The fire, which broke out shortly before 8:30 a.m., is being investigated by Dover fire and police along with assistance from the state Fire Marshals Office.

Deputy Fire Chief Michael McShane said police and the fire marshals office joined the investigation because of the injuries.

Neighbors identified the woman as Lehana Anderson, who is listed as the property owner, according to the city assessors office.

Anderson was able to get out before firefighters arrived, but was rushed to a local hospital and later transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was listed in fair condition Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokesperson said.

McShane said a man in another mobile home next door also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was brought to the hospital, he said.

A firefighter also suffered a minor injury, McShane said.

Andersons home was destroyed while mobile homes on either side of her residence also sustained exterior damage.

Because of the heat and how labor intensive it was because we had three structures to contend with, I went to a second alarm to get additional personnel here to help, McShane said.

Neighbor Bill Wildes, whose home was damaged, said he was in his living room when the fire broke out.

I heard this pop sound and hissing sound. I looked out my bedroom window and thats when I saw it engulfed, he said.

Wildes ran outside and banged on the door.

Storms also rushed over after hearing what he described as a boom. He said he tried to see if Anderson was home and at one point pushed in her air conditioner, but there was no response and thought she wasnt there.

Moments later, he said she came out of the house and was suffering from burns.

I put my shirt over her and I walked her back to my house. She was bewildered and in shock, he said.

Fire investigators remained at the home for several hours as they searched for clues. The cause of the fire had not been determined by late afternoon, officials said.

Continued here:
Neighbors jump in to help woman burned in Dover mobile home fire - The Union Leader

Here are all the reported non-deadly shootings Toledo Police responded to over the weekend.

TOLEDO, Ohio Toledo Police were once again kept busy with a plethora of shootings over the weekend, two of them turning deadly.

The other weekend shootings are listed in the order they were reported to police:

Aug. 14

Police were notified of a shooting around 7 p.m. at the Weiler Homes apartment complex on the 1100 block of Sisson in east Toledo.

It was discovered that a 26-year-old male was taken to the hospital by private vehicle with a non-life threatening gunshot wound.

Police say the apartment building was also hit by gunfire.

Another shooting was reported the same day around 8:30 p.m. at a mobile home in the 3000 block of Nebraska in west Toledo.

A woman told police she was sitting inside her mobile home when she heard gunshots outside. Shortly after, she saw a bullet fragment fall off the ceiling and onto the floor.

The third shooting police responded to on Friday was at a home on the 500 block of Platt in east Toledo around 10:23 p.m.

Police went to the home to find a 66-year-old victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Police say his injury is non-life threatening.

The man told police he heard gunshots from outside the home when he was hit by a bullet that came through the window. Police found a shell casing outside the home.

Aug. 15

Saturday's first shooting was reported just after midnight in the 2300 block of Maplewood in central Toledo.

Police say the shooting stemmed from a domestic violence incident. The victim told police she got into an altercation with 29-year-old Ricky Luster Jr. and fled from him in her vehicle.

She told police Luster shot at her vehicle while she was driving away, and police say at least two shots hit the vehicle. The woman was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, but police said it did not appear that she was hit by gunfire.

Luster fled the scene before police arrived; a warrant is out for his arrest.

Saturday's second non-deadly shooting happened in west Toledo around 5:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of Evansdale.

Upon arrival, police discovered it was a possible domestic situation, with a 25-year-old being taken to the hospital with a possible life-threatening injury after being shot at least once.

The third shooting was reported around 1:03 p.m. in an alley between Thayer and Prouty in south Toledo.

Police say an 18-year-old male was shot in the arm and was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Witnesses say the victim was in the alley with an unknown man, who pulled out a handgun and shot the 18-year-old.

Aug. 16

Around 4:35 p.m., police were sent to the hospital to talk to a man who walked in with a gunshot wound.

The man told police he was on Delaware when he was shot, but does not know who shot him. The victim's injuries are non-life threatening.

A police unit was out on Delaware and Trenton for a shots fired call just prior to this one coming in

See the rest here:
TPD kept busy with multiple shootings over the weekend - WTOL

When Vermont students start the next school year in four weeks, many wont have full access to the internet they need for remote learning.

The COVID crisis has shined a bright light on the state's big broadband inequities as school officials and parents weigh the options of online and in-person classes.

Andre Souligny is one of many parents whod like to keep his kids at home this fall. But he doesnt think its possible with the extremely slow internet connection at their home in rural Roxbury.

If we had really good internet, it would make a big difference in sort of the possibilities and the stress level, he said. You know, we would probably immediately choose to do remote learning, because it would be safer, safer than going to school.

Soulignys family tested it out this spring. But with two children needing to do their school work online, his partner at home working remotely, a third child home from college all tried to use an internet connection thats about 25 times slower than the federal definition of broadband.

Like he said, it got stressful.

It causes tension in our family. Weve always got to be navigating, like 'Whos online, whos offline, turn off your stuff,'" he said. I mean, Im just concerned that we cant probably manage a whole school year remotely. Based on our experience, over the internet, its next to impossible.

"I'm just concerned that we can't probably manage a whole school year remotely. Based on our experience, over the internet, it's next to impossible." Andre Souligny, Roxbury parent

Their situation is not unique. According to the state's Department of Public Service, about 70,000 addresses lack access to service that meets the federal definition of broadband. That number does not include people who cant afford the service. And how many of those 70,000 households have school-age children is also not clear.

Jay Nichols, the executive director of the Vermont Principals Association, told lawmakers recently the problem became glaringly obvious when schools closed and kids struggled to get online.

It hasn't gotten a lot better, it may be a little bit better, but the last time I talked to anybody that was in the know, [they] said 50% of our kids still do not have the level of broadband connectivity they really need to be able to do the remote learning we're talking about across the state, he said.

Jen Botzojorns can tell you whats its like in her part of rural Vermont. Shes superintendent of the Kingdom East Supervisory Union, a sprawling, seven-town school district that spans Caledonia and Essex counties.

More from VPR: Did Your Zoom Video Freeze Again? COVID-19 Crisis Highlights Internet Inadequacies

The connectivity varies from town to town, she said. In some towns, everybody has connectivity except maybe one or two students, but then about 30% [of] its poor quality, and it doesnt work very well. In other towns, you have 40% who dont have good connectivity, or 50%.

Botzojorns said this causes grave inequities in education. Students and families with high speed internet can attend parent-teachers conferences online, have one-on-one sessions with teachers and not lose a minute waiting for a page to load or a video to start.

Those struggling with reading or math, for example, may need intensive instruction thats not possible remotely without a good connection. Botzojorns said in a crisis, people in poverty suffer the most, and that's true now as well.

Our biggest issue is, we are public schools we serve every child, and that is the dream of America, right? You get your education and then you can become anything, she said. And then suddenly a huge percentage of children arent able to access it. And that to me is the opposite of what we want to be doing for our schools.

"A huge percentage of children aren't able to access [education]. And that to me is the opposite of what we want to be doing with our schools." Jen Botzojorns, Kingdom East School District superintendent

One of the district's seventh grade teachers, Sophie Branson Gill, said she saw the problem this spring when she tried to teach remotely. She spoke via Zoom at a meeting convened by Congressman Peter Welch on rural broadband issues.

How can we offer those opportunities if our students cant access them? she asked. How do we engage them in their learning if we cant reach them? And how do we create connections without a connection?

Branson Gill recalled one family saying weve run out of internet and their student couldn't participate until they could afford to add more data to their plan.

To first tackle the cost question, the Department of Public Service will use $2 million in federal COVID relief funds to offer up to $3,000 apiece to help consumers pay for line extensions to their home.

Clay Purvis, director of the department's telecommunications division, said the money is for people who have internet service near them, but cant afford to extend the line to their house.

A big broadband expansion project is probably not going to touch them, he said. And we have addresses like that all over the place.

But you also need to build out the lines. A separate department program using $12 million dollars in federal COVID money will help internet service providers extend service to underserved areas. Providers can seek grants of up to $4 million apiece.

"A big broadband expansion project is probably not going to touch them. And we have addresses like that all over the place." Clay Purvis, Department of Public Service

ECFiber, based in South Royalton, has asked for $1.2 million to target mobile homes and mobile home parks. These are traditionally under-served because all utility lines are buried, so installation costs are high according to Chris Recchia, ECFibers managing director.

This is a really, probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to try and get these folks connected in a good way, he said.

More from VPR: Vermont Legislature Eyes ECFiber As Model For Community-Based Broadband Build-Out

ECFiber serves 22 towns in central Vermont and the Upper Valley and will roll out service this year to more. The fiber optic service is a product of Vermonts first communications union district, an organization of towns that band together to provide internet.

If ECFiber wins the grant and if all the park owners approve, ECFiber could expand service to 13 mobile home parks in six towns. Recchia says that should cover about 411 units, with an estimated 250 children.

Obviously, people are suffering and struggling, and this is a really good way to get lower-income people who otherwise wouldnt be able to afford this stellar internet, he said.

"It is not the virus that caused this need. It has always been there." Chris Recchia, ECFiber

Similar communication union districts have sprung up all over the state. The pandemic has obviously made their work even more vital. But Recchia said U.S. society as a whole could have tackled the digital divide a lot sooner, with aggressive federal funding similar to rural electrification in the 1930s.

It is not the virus that caused this need. It has always been there," he said. "And we are doing something that we could have done, and could do anyway, if we wished to put our collective brains together and into making life better for people all across the board. We have that ability.

More from VPR: Utilities, Internet Providers Team Up To Potentially Bid For Federal Broadband Aid

But the federal money the state will dispense this summer and fall has a strict deadline attached: It must be used on projects that can completed by the end of the calendar year.

Yet students need internet by the time schools start Sept. 8. Just how many more families will be served by then is very much an open question.

Have questions, comments or tips?Send us a messageor get in touch with reporter John Dillon@VPRDillon.

We've closed our comments. Read about ways toget in touch here.

Continue reading here:
Schools Start In Four Weeks. The State Is Scrambling To Set Up Broadband For Students - Vermont Public Radio

(Screenshot from Google Maps)

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At about 6:30 last night, a brush fire ignited out in the desert near the southeastern end of the Salton Sea. Because of strong dry winds, it wasn't long before the flames traveled half a mile west, jumped Highway 111, and landed in Niland a small town with a patchwork of mobile homes and trailers surrounded by ready-to-burn brush.

There were calls to evacuate the entire town as 30 mph gusts made it difficult for firefighters to get a handle on the blaze. Reinforcements from Cal Fire in San Diego were called in to help the Imperial County firefighters.

One person was killed, an estimated 40 homes were destroyed, and 130 people were displaced, though the numbers are still being tallied.

A tragedy anywhere, but even more so in Niland, where an estimated 57 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

"I don't see it being rebuilt. For my family at least. Which is kind of pretty heavy for me to say," said Pastor Elijah Baaga, whose family members lost two homes in the fire. He lives in nearby Calipatria, but has deep ties to the Niland community.

He said his family has lived there since the 1920s, when his grandparents emigrated from the Philippines to work in the agricultural industry.

"My aunties and my uncles, they were part of the generation that lived there for a long time," Baaga said. "They were there when the economy was booming in Niland. There were banks and packing sheds, and agriculture was booming."

Now, it's a low income part of Imperial Valley with people struggling to get by.

"It's like pure trailers all throughout the city. A lot of the city has been deserted and people have left their homes. It's almost like a ghost town. It's pretty impoverished," Baaga said.

The impact to the town, he said, will put further strain on those living there. And he fears that the strong sense of community that he's always felt in Niland, will diminish if people fail to recover post-disaster.

For now, those who have been displaced are either staying with family and friends, like the Baagas, or in hotel rooms paid for by the Red Cross.

The long-term plan for recovery is unclear and will take some time to pan out.

According to Linsey Dale, public information officer with Imperial County, a local assistance center is being set up so that residents can meet with both government and nonprofit agencies that might be able to help them.

See the article here:
Estimated 40 Homes Burn As Brushfire Tears Through Small SoCal Town - LAist

An updated general plan presented at the special Murrieta City Council meeting Tuesday, June 16, could potentially bring thousands of homes and jobs to families in the area.

Senior planner Carl Stiebl and Brian F. Mooney, fellow of American Institute of Certified Planners, presented a general plan for the councils consideration.

The general plan and general plan environmental impact report were last updated in July 2011, as reported by presenting staff. This focused update included land use changes in certain areas with zoning changes, updates to specific general plan elements, a supplemental and final EIR, an updated Climate Action Plan and implementation of vehicle miles traveled.

The updates address new state legislation since 2011, economic development opportunities for the city, project streamlining and improving the overall quality of life for residents, as reported by staff.

The Base Project (also known as the draft project)

There are six planning areas where there are land use changes as part of the project. Areas 1, 2 and 3 are in the southern portion of the city, and Areas 4, 5 and 6 are located in the northern and eastern portions of the city.

Area 1

This area is located south of I-15 between Madison Avenue, Monroe Avenue, Guava Street and Elm Street. This area currently has the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, two churches and various residences. There is also a hotel currently in process in this area.

Proposed land use map for Area 1

A proposed land use map for area one includes a change to innovation, which works well, according to staff, in close proximity to the existing business park, commercial and just south of the transit-oriented development area to the north.

Area 2

For Area 2, the existing land use map is located on the east side of I-15 south of the freeway split to the city border of Temecula along Jackson Avenue. The existing land use designations include small areas of single-family residential, multi-family residential, commercial, as well as a large area of Office Research Park with office zoning, which is a more limited zone.

This area covers The Springs Healthcare Center, Temecula Valley RV and the Murrieta Palms Mobile Home Park.

Proposed land use map for Area 2

The majority here would change to innovation, according to staff, with open space along the city owned parcels and the Warm Springs Creek, with multi-family residential for the mobile home park and commercial for the one parcel down at the border of the city of Temecula.

Area 3

Area 3 is located along Murrieta Hot Springs Road, and this site is developed with a strip commercial center and buildings that include a bank, restaurants, stores and offices.

Proposed land use map for Area 3

This is a cleanup item to change to commercial and match the way this area has developed over time.

Area 4

This area is a large area in the northern part of the city along Whitewood Road and Clinton Keith Road. The area is developed with some industrial and storage-type uses, rural residential and large lot land use designated areas. The majority of this area, other than whats near the freeway is located within the Eastern Municipal Water District. The area that has ORP has an encompassed health facility and grading for future medical office development thats currently in process along the I-215.

Proposed land use map for Area 4

This area would significantly remove the existing ORP from the area, an innovation area south of Baxter Road on both sides of Whitewood Road, with adjacent workforce housing, both multi-family housing and single-family located in close proximity. It would also change the RCA owned parcels in the southern area to open space.

There are also two alternatives in the project that provide options for how the land use in this area can be changed.

Area 5

This section is a smaller area than the adjacent area four across the I-215. This area is located north of Linnel Lane and along McElwain Road, just north of the existing Target. Its currently completely designated ORP, it contains a few existing residences with very steep terrain to the west and north. A hotel was also recently approved in Area 5.

Proposed land use map for Area 5

This area would remove the ORP, replace it with innovation along the freeway, also add multi-family residential for worker housing at the intersection of Linnel Lane and McElwain Road and single-family residential at the parcels with the steepest terrain to the north and west.

Area 6

Located within the Murrieta Springs Specific Plan in the eastern part of the city, this section is east of the Los Alamos area. The parcels are undeveloped land that have been acquired by RCA for conservation. Locations are adjacent to the existing open space in the Murrieta Springs Plan.

Proposed land use map for Area 6

This section is a cleanup to the area to make all the parcels open space. This helps with conservation and open space goals, including those in the general plan, and an addition matching RCAs intended use for the properties. A subsequent amendment to clean up the Murrieta Springs Specific Plan is necessary and will be completed separately, according to staff.

Alternatives to the project

Alternatives to the project are considered in the draft EIR. In consideration of alternatives as part of this process provides options to adopt a project that achieves the overall goals.

The city may choose to adopt the draft project as presented, or an alternative or parts of alternatives, given that theyve been fully analyzed.

The alternatives primarily look at different potential considerations of land use designations in two areas.

Alternative 2

Alternative 2 offers a different arrangement of land uses in Area 4. It would further reduce the amount of proposed innovation in area four from the draft plan, with more multi-family residential instead.

It is primarily seen in the northern part of the area where the parcels that were proposed for innovation east of Whitewood Road and south of Baxter Road, except for the innovation area around the recently developed encompassed health facility along Whitewood Road.

The parcel at the southeast corner of Clinton Keith Road and Whitewood Road in this alternative also changes from single-family to multi-family. According to staff, this creates more of a corridor running north to south of multi-family along the east side of Whitewood Road, but still provides a large innovation area.

Staff reported that they received a number of comments during public review in support of this alternative. The planning commissions recommendation was to adopt this alternative based on their deliberations and the public comment.

Alternative 3

There are different arrangements for land uses in Area 2 and Area 4. Alternative 3 replaces the proposed innovation in Area 2 with commercial. In Area 4, this alternative replaces innovation southwest of Baxter Road and west of Whitewood Road with multi-family, creating more of an L-shaped, smaller innovation area.

This alternative also adds two small areas of commercial at the northeast and southeast corner of Clinton Keith Road and Whitewood Road. Comments were also received in support of the alternative from public review.

The council can choose between the draft land use map or these alternatives. Alternatives 2 and 3 then are changes to the base project.

The project also includes a water study. It also included public workshops and public review. Twenty-six comments were received during the time period for public review, in which many supported Alternative 2.

Some comments from staff came with concern about losing innovation to make room for more housing.

Before a motion was made, Mayor Gene Wunderlich gave one final comment.

I very much want to thank the city for an excellent job of updating this and providing a very comprehensive plan, Wunderlich said. The concept of innovation districts didnt even really exist the last time we did a general plan update, so this is all new, its spreading like wildfire across the country because it is so flexible and allows so many different uses.

The focus really is very friendly, integrated communities that incorporate a mix of housing and the office design and these and so forth with sufficient landscaping and hopefully an attraction for what we focus on here as a city, new business startups, business incubators as well as some well-known anchors in some of these tenant buildings, Wunderlich said.

A motion was made to adopt the recommendation by staff for the resolutions that were outlined in their report, for the first reading of the ordinance as outlined in staff recommendation, and that council adopts the map that is Alternative 2 with the addition of the multi-family in the corner at Baxter Road and Whitewood Road.

The motion made by Councilmember Kelly Seyarto included the innovation in Area 2, with concern for the direction that commercial property is going in.

The innovation area is able to capture a lot of what would normally be, maybe commercial, retail, Seyarto said. I think it provides the flexibility we needed for that particular parcel. Theres so much competition and dwindling demand for commercial, and I want to make sure that, at least in the next few years because I look forward to seeing how this plays out for our community, so for that area Im still fine with the innovation.

The motion passed unanimously.

To see the maps of each area, learn more about the Innovation Land Use, updates in state legislation affecting the general plan proposed project, or the agenda items of the June 16 meeting, visit http://onbase.murrietaca.gov/onbaseagendaonline and click on the 2 p.m. City Council Special Meeting link for June 16.

Lexington Howe can be reached by email at lhowe@reedermedia.com.

Excerpt from:
Murrieta continues to develop future plan for adding thousands of homes and jobs to the area - Valley News

The old drive-in movie theatre screen at the Kootenay River Mobile Home Park in Ootischenia is no more.

The screen blew down onto the Kootenay River RV Parks property during a massive windstorm last Saturday at around 6 p.m.

My co-worker was working in a neighbouring site at the time and she watched it fall, said Victoria Peebles of the RV Park. She said one big gust of wind suddenly came and knocked it all down onto the ground.

While three vehicles were damaged during the incident, Peebles said luckily no one was injured.

It couldve damaged mobile homes if it had fallen the opposite way.

Peebles said the the owner of the mobile home park had a safety inspection done on the sign a few years ago, which didnt show any immediate safety concerns.

RV Park staff have tried to contact the mobile home park owner to help clean up the mess.

While the downed screen has been cordoned off with tape, people are still allowed to enter the RV park to view it as long as theyre 18 or older.

The Sunset Drive-in theatre operated from 1969 to 1986 and had a capacity of about 500 cars.

Castlegar News has also reached out to the owner of the Kootenay River Mobile Home Park for comment.

READ MORE: Drive-in theatre proposed for Grand Forks

@connortrembleyconnor.trembley@castlegarnews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Drive-in movie theatre screen blown down in Ootischenia Arrow Lakes News - Arrow Lakes News

A severe thunderstorm warning for Winnipeg has endedas southern Manitoba endures yet another evening of serious weather.

Environment Canadaissued the warning just after 9 p.m on Tuesday and lifted it less than an hour later.A number of rural communities surrounding the city were also under warnings late into the evening.

The weather agency said meteorologists were tracking a line of severe thunderstorms that stretched from Lockport to Lake Manitoba that was moving northeast at 60 km/h.

Another line of storms prompted warnings in the Brandon area. Environment Canada said they were capable of producing rainfall in excess of 50 mm.

The line of severe weatherstretched from Gregg to Minnedosa to Wawanesa and was moving slowly northeastward, the agency said.

Much of southern Manitoba was placed under a watch earlier in the dayTuesday.

Up to the minute watches and warnings can be found on Environment Canada's website.

Meantime, Environment Canada has rated a tornado that touched down near Rapid City, Man., late Sunday afternoon as a preliminary low-end EF-2.

The weather agency said the twister, which touched down about five kilometres south of the town, which is located about 30 kilometres north of Brandon, had a maximum wind speed of 190 km/h.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale, or EF-Scale, is used by Environment Canada to measure the intensity of wind damage. It measures from an EF-0 as the weakest, to an EF-5 as the strongest.

The tornado destroyed two large sheds, snapped and uprooted hundreds of trees. It also left two barns with significant damage, flipped trailers and toppled grain bins.

Its path was 5.6 km and was about 200 metres wide, Environment Canada said.

Environment Canada said the same system dropped golf ball-sized hail, rainfall in excess of 150 mm, and a small area of downburst damage northwest of the tornado track, where a number of grain bins were toppled.

The storm also left a pair of mobile homes east of the community in ruins.

No one was injured or killed as a result of the storm.

The weather agency said it is actively seeking pictures of the tornado or damage it may have caused, and asks people call 1-800-239-0484, send an email to ec.storm.ec@canada.ca, or tweet to #mbstorm.

A series of thunderstorms left a swath of damage across southwest Manitoba on Sunday. Rising floodwater in its wake has led to even more damage across the region.

Severe thunderstorms associated with a low pressure system in North Dakota are pushing northwards into Canada on Tuesday evening, Environment Canada said.

The agency warned of large hail, torrential downpours and damaging wind gusts will be associated with the strongest of these thunderstorms. The threat of severe weather will begin to push eastward tonight as the low pressure system evolves.

The watch was issued for:

Follow this link:
Tornado near Rapid City, Man., had winds of 190 km/h as southern Manitoba endures more severe weather - CBC.ca

Residents of a largely immigrant Ooltewah mobile home park say they have been manipulated by property managers who threaten deportation and eviction to compel them to pay certain fees and sign questionable leases.

The property managers of Auburn Hills Mobile Home Park, Steven and Kim West, were arrested in late April and charged with hoarding more than $60,000 in donated supplies intended for park residents affected by a deadly EF3 tornado that tore through it late on Easter Sunday.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office began investigating the Wests after receiving a complaint from a community member a week after the storms hit the park, killing 46-year-old Jose Arzate.

Deputies seized hundreds of relief items meant for the residents of the park ranging from 54 American Red Cross totes to diapers, masks, cases of bottled water and an unopened generator.

Many of the donations were stored in a trailer that had been screwed shut, according to the sheriff's office.

After being released on bond, Kim West was arrested again and charged with coercion after reportedly trying to force residents to sign a document stating that the Wests had provided them with aid after the storm and withholding access to hotel rooms provided by the Red Cross for residents who refused to comply.

The Tennessee Attorney General's Office has since joined the investigation to determine whether there has been a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, a law that protects consumers and businesses from unfair or deceptive business practices.

With the Wests under investigation, many residents said they have endured behavior from them ranging from unreasonable fines and deportation threats to intimidation and physical threats.

"They threaten you no matter what," Joel Trujillo, who has lived in the park with his wife and three children for 10 years, told the Times Free Press. "I mean, they just do it for no reason. And every time they threaten you, it's $25. Every time you get a letter, 25 bucks ... and we don't, I mean most of us don't, have anywhere we can go or anyone we can go to about this."

On multiple occasions the Times Free Press reached out to Kim West in person and via phone. No voice messages were returned and she declined to answer any questions in person, both before and after the arrests.

During the most recent attempt, reporters asked the Wests, who were outside of their Auburn Hills home and office, where many of the reportedly hoarded supplies had been stored, to respond to allegations made both to authorities and to the newspaper. Steven West did not respond, while Kim West directed reporters to a woman who represents the company that owns the park.

That woman said the Wests have done nothing wrong.

Since the storms hit three weeks ago, the Times Free Press has obtained rental documents and spoken to 15 current and former residents of the park who shared similar accounts of facing some sort of fine from the Wests and being threatened with eviction and or deportation if they did not pay.

The residents, most of whom did not want their names published due to their citizenship status and fears of retaliation, accuse the property managers of barring them from seeking help from law enforcement and even family to remove trees and clean up their lots after the storm.

Each source described a pattern of the landlords imposing fines ranging from $25-50 for seemingly menial property rule infractions to late payment charges on rent that was paid on time. Each charge was backed up by the threat of deportation or eviction made by the Wests.

Records provided to the Times Free Press by a former resident, who left the park in 2019, show several examples of late fees on rent that had already been paid, according to money order receipts. The documents detail one specific exchange in which the tenant was made aware of two late fees for August rent one incurred on Aug. 6 and the other incurred on Sept. 6 for the first time in October, and then an additional late fee was imposed before the Oct. 6 deadline.

The resident, who then allegedly owed $75 in late fees, wrote to the office explaining that rent had been paid on time for each August, September and October, including evidence of the money orders with which the payments were made, but ultimately was forced to pay the $75 by the Wests under threat of eviction, according to documents provided.

"Believe it or not, I'm glad this thing is going the way it's going because these people, the way they treat us and I say everybody it's not right for them to be charging for no reason," Trujillo said of the tornado and subsequent investigations. "There's a few guys that call and text and say, 'Man, I really don't want to say much because I don't know if we can move or I don't know if we can afford to move away.'"

As the Wests came under scrutiny by law enforcement and outside community members witnessing the alleged hoarding, many of the other accusations came to light.

Attorney C. Mark Warren got involved after being told by some residents and tornado relief volunteers that the Wests were allegedly "attempting to use deportation as blackmail for them paying rent on trailers that had been destroyed or inhabitable."

"That's really what got me involved in the first place, was they were attempting to use the threat of deportation to get them to pay rent, even though their trailers were totally destroyed," he said.

Over the course of his involvement, Warren was told that the Wests were allegedly attempting to charge double rent if a family's mobile home was destroyed and they moved in with another family. They also reportedly did not allow anyone, including firefighters, to go onto the property to assist with the cleanup.

Another question that arose was whether the residents were paying for insurance, which residents were charged for even though it was supposed to be obtained by the lessees, according a lease provided by a former tenant. Of the residents interviewed, no one has seen any documentation from or representatives of an insurance company either before or after the storm. Additionally, no resident knew which company was allegedly carrying insurance for their homes.

A representative of the property? refused to tell the Times Free Press what company the park uses for insurance but said that insurance agents have been "all over" the property since the day after the storm.

Meanwhile, Warren, who is now representing a tenant who has left the property since the storm hit, said he is seeking more information on insurance and other dealings of the property management.

"[The residents] are very reluctant to meet and talk, just because of the fear of retaliation," Warren said. "Our first meeting, which was several days after the tornado, when they got back to Auburn Hills, they were confronted by the Wests as far as, you know, who was there, what was talked about, making accusations that they shouldn't have been meeting with anybody about what was going on at Auburn Hills."

The representative of park owner Auburn Most LLC, a Michigan company that bought Auburn Hills in 2015, declined to share her name or title, but told the Times Free Press that she had been on the property since the week after the storm hit, and that any accusations by the residents were "complete and total lies."

"It's disgusting. [The Wests] would give any of these people the shirts off of their backs," she said. "It's twisted. I don't know how these people sleep. Satan's got a hold of these people."

The representative told reporters she would not give any details about the parent company or the Wests' employment but that they "haven't done a damn thing wrong."

She said that, despite residents claiming Kim West had demanded they sign a document absolving her in the hoarding accusation under the threat of eviction, West only had asked them and never coerced anyone to sign any document.

As for law enforcement, Trujillo said the sheriff's office has been sympathetic toward residents and has reassured them that they were not investigating their citizenship status, telling residents "we're not after you." Rather, the investigation was focused on the Wests' alleged actions.

Contact Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @Hughes Rosana.

Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.

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Tenants of Hamilton County mobile home park say they were threatened with deportation, eviction by landlords - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Photo: David Kadlubowski/The Republic/azc Deadly heat wave: In 2005, 20 deaths were attributed to a July heat wave. Temperatures weren't record-setting, but highs consistently topped 110 degrees and lows didn't dip below the 90s. Heat advisories and excessive-heat warnings lasted for more than a week. Many of the victims were homeless but the dead also included a 37-year-old man found in his vehicle, a 66-year-old man found outside his home and three elderly women found inside their homes. A 97-year-old Mesa man died inside his home, where the temperature had reached 110 degrees. His wife, who was also in the home, survived.

Summer is coming. The coronavirus is staying. One-hundred-degree temperatures are already here. Before it gets hotter, we need a plan to help people self-isolating in homes they cannot keep cool.

In 2017, a record 264 heat-related deaths occurred in Arizona. If we act swiftly, we can stop the coronavirus from breaking the record.

We are heat and housing researchers from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University sounding the alarm. In the coming weeks and months, we see catastrophe ahead for too many Arizonans for whom the coronavirus will make it nearly impossible to escape the heat.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Most households take for granted their ability to beat the heat by simply staying inside. But, for many staying home does not necessarily mean cooling off especially for those with little or no control over the inside temperature of homes.

These are people struggling to pay utility bills, with little insulation or without air conditioning. In normal times, they would have places to escape to malls, librariesand restaurants. These are no longeroptions. Even some public cooling centers are grappling with whether and how to open.

In Arizona and across the country, there are stark inequalities in household capacity to adapt to extreme heat, and COVID-19 will expose and compound these disparities. The impacts of this wicked mixture of insecure housing, pandemic disease and extreme heat will be experienced differently according to income, age, race, and something that is often overlooked housing type.

Even as the state re-opens, vulnerable people will still need to stay home, and Social distancing will be with us through the summer, according to the White House. For hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, staying home will mean staying in a home built in a factory, commonly referred to as a manufactured or mobile home.

Despite the persistence of worn-out stigmas and stereotypes about trailer parks,manufactured housing is a good-quality, energy-efficient and essential source of affordable housing in our state. For many it offers a high quality of life at low cost that allows residents to raise their families and age in place in social and supportive environments.

Nevertheless, our research suggests that in Arizona, and in most sunbelt states, the mixture of heat, housing and the coronavirus is likely to be particularly challenging for those communities, where multiple risk factors converge.

These factors intersect most hazardously in the one-third of units in Maricopa and Pima counties built before national building standards were enacted in 1976, with meager insulation and dangerous wiring. These homes are often substandard and prohibitively expensive to cool.

This is particularly true in manufactured home parks where shade is scarce but concrete and asphalt are abundant. These materials absorb heat and slowly release it in the evening, elevating temperatures through the night.Even with air-conditioning, residents struggle to lower temperatures below 90 degrees.

Consider Tanya, a stroke survivor, whose home we measured last summer at 111 degrees, or 97-year-old Albert, whose broken swamp cooler leaked through the ceiling where he sat in front of two fans.

What do you do when it is dangerously hot in your house, even hotter outside, and there is nowhere to go? The coronavirus has limited the options for people like Tanya and Albert, and finding safe ways to provide thermal relief is a matter of life and death.

Manufactured home residents are already over-represented among indoor heat-related deaths. In Maricopa County, 4.9%of housing units are manufactured homes, but they are the scene for 27.5%of indoor heat-associated deaths. Similar patterns likely exist in Pima County, where heat-morbidity data is less available, but climate conditions are similar, the population is poorer, and the proportion of manufactured housing is twice as high.

Many residents of thermally compromised homes are heat-sensitive seniors at highest risk of severe illness from both the coronavirus and heat exposure.

While only 15.7%of Phoenix residents are 65 or older, they make up 59%of those who died indoors from heat-related causes, and head half of all manufactured home households. They also account for more than three-quarters of coronavirus deaths in the state. The people who most need the protection of their homesare the ones most likely to die inside them.

Of the residents we spoke to in Tucson, 40%struggle to make housing-related payments.Keeping the AC running may offer respite from the heat, but not from collection agencies. In Arizona, where utility bills are already 6%higher than the national average, a home-bound summer will drive up energy-costs further.

Even before millions lost their jobs and were told to stay home a sixth of our interviewees were spending at least 60%of their income on housing-related expenses.

The picture is grim, but there is much that can be done and reason to hope.

We all need to pick up the telephoneand take advantage of other technologies to get in touch with family, friends, and neighbors. Too many of the tragic stories of Arizonans who die from heat involve individuals living alone.

More than ever before, this summer it will be worth the extra effort to reach out to those with whom we have grown distant. Their life might depend on it.

Long after the coronavirus is gone, the extreme heat experienced by the marginally housed this summer will persist heat waves will get longer, nighttime temperatures will rise, and we will live more of our lives above 100 degrees.

By addressing immediate cooling needs through shade, solar and insulation, we can create lasting solutions to the sustainability challenges of manufactured housing. Let us tackle this crisis by investing in solutions that will yield environmental, social and economic dividends for years to come.

Mark Kear andMargaret Wilder workat the University of Arizona.Patricia Sols, David Hondula, and Mark Bernstein work at Arizona State University.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Self-isolating from COVID-19 in a mobile home? That could be deadly in Arizona

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Self-isolating from COVID-19 in a mobile home? That could be deadly in Arizona - msnNOW