Burlington Housing Obstacles - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Burlington Housing Obstacles

Governor Jack Dalrymple has filed for a housing extension with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Until that extension is approved, FEMA representatives are continuing to encourage flood victims in FEMA housing to be out by December 24th.
Many homeowners are making arrangements the best they are able in the area's housing shortage.
The Bertsch family in Burlington moved forward with what they thought would be the quickest solution: they sold their flooded home and purchased a manufactured home in September of 2011.
Nearly a year later, after a number of proposed 'deadlines' from Performance Homes, the family is still in limbo, making payments on a house they can't live in.
Today, Kristi Bertsch and her daughters sat outside the Performance Homes office on Highway 2 and 52, demanding a final move in date.
The house was placed on February 8th.
Several deadlines - and a one in writing for June 23rd - have come and passed.
The delay is causing problems with Bertsch's in-home business, and her interactions with FEMA.

(Kristi Bertsch, Burlington Resident) "We have a plan and we don't even know if we're going to be out by December when they say that's when you need to be out. The last few times they've come out they say, 'you keep telling us that you're going to be out and there's no progress from the last time.' And I told them, do you want to go to Performance Homes? Do you want to see my house? Because I'm telling you the absolute truth."

Performance Homes contacted Ward County Sheriff's Department about the peaceful protest, the officer on scene said that the Bertsch's were outside of Performance Homes property and within their rights to protest.

Performance Homes was unable to make a comment at this time.