Galveston County Commissioners gave a federal agency permission Wednesday to park temporary houses within a 100-year floodplain, opening the door for assistance for families who qualify for the program.

The measure would assist families in unincorporated areas such as San Leon, Bacliff and Freddiesville, where many homes were destroyed when Hurricane Ike slammed the upper Texas Coast on Sept. 13. The action didn’t address temporary housing needs on Bolivar Peninsula, however, which is one reason why Commissioner Patrick Doyle voted against the measure.

Doyle told commissioners he opposed the Federal Emergency Management Agency putting manufactured housing on private property, saying he preferred the agency build community housing on county property.

Doyle said if FEMA fails to remove the one- and three-bedroom houses by the May 31, 2010, deadline, then it would be easier for the county to do the job if the houses were on county property.

Another major contention, Doyle said, was that no one on the peninsula would qualify for the program, because their property is in a wind velocity zone.

David Parks, a FEMA representative present at Wednesday’s meeting in League City, said the agency looked at three sites on the peninsula for community housing. There is potentially one site that is not in a velocity zone, Park said.

“But it’s 10 feet below base flood elevation,” Parks said, noting that he could ask his superiors for permission, but, “We’ve never done this before. I should have an answer within a week.”

Doyle questioned why Parks hadn’t already sought approval, based on conversations at previous commission meetings.

“Where’s the latitude you brought to the meeting when I first met you?” Doyle asked. “We had that conversation two weeks ago.”

Parks said once residents qualify for manufactured housing on their property, it could be delivered and installed within 14 days. Community housing, which is FEMA’s definition of a trailer park, would house many families in one location.

After finding a suitable area, one with or capable of supporting utilities, it could take 12 to 14 weeks to complete the job and move families into community housing, Parks said.

A community housing site at Hitchcock’s Blimp Base was nixed, officials said, citing environmental concerns. Parks said FEMA is working on a plan to bring community housing to a site in Santa Fe and at Hitchcock’s Jack Brooks Park on FM 2004, but some of the same logistic issues apply.

County Judge Jim Yarbrough said he wanted to help cut through the red tape, such as utility issues and obtaining an exemption to the park deed restriction that says the county can only use it for recreation purposes.

“These are not normally permitted uses, but these are not normal times,” Yarbrough said.

About 175,000 Texans registered for FEMA assistance, Parks said, and there are a number of qualifications residents must meet in order to qualify for temporary housing.

FEMA representative Barb Sturner said FEMA would contact everyone who has registered to let them know of their temporary housing status.

To register for FEMA assistance, call 1-800-621-3362 or register online at www.fema.gov.