Additional Updates on Hurricane Housing Recovery

The following is a review of developments related to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria housing recovery since last week’s Memo to Members and Partners (for the article in last week’s Memo, see 10/10). NLIHC also posts this information at our On the Home Front blog. 

Hurricane Maria

FEMA

Puerto Rico

By the Numbers:

  • 86,382 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $43,258,815 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $43,208,262 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
  • $37,005,952 Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated** all of which are for Emergency Work (Categories A-B)

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

**Funds made available to the State via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects

FEMA approved more than $44 million for assistance to individuals and more than $96 million for emergency work to aid with recovery in Puerto Rico following hurricanes Irma and Maria.

FEMA appointed Mike Byrne as the federal coordinating officer for Puerto Rico. Caribbean Area Division Director Alejandro De La Campa will continue his work with mayors and the governor of Puerto Rico while Mr. Byrne will oversee operational needs.

U.S. Virgin Islands

By the Numbers:

  • 1,789 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $1,015,153 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $120,017 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $895,037 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
  • $10,510,000 Emergency Work (Categories A-B) dollars obligated**

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

**Funds made available to the State via electronic transfer following FEMA’s final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.

FEMA is providing more than $10 million in expedited funding to support clean up and remove debris in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Local Perspectives

Governor Rick Scott of Florida has ordered the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to waive all fees for Puerto Ricans relocating to Florida and applying for occupational licenses. The waiver would apply to over 50 professional licenses and will last until November 5.


Hurricane Irma

FEMA

Florida

By the Numbers:

  • 682,676 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $737,939,691 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $492,813,204 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $245,126,487 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

Eight additional counties have been approved for additional Public Assistance [Categories C-G] that provides Federal Infrastructure Disaster Aid.

Georgia

By the Numbers:

  • 7,982 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $9,680,367 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $6,812,256 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $2,868,111 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

Four additional counties have been approved for additional Public Assistance [Categories C-G] that provides Federal Infrastructure Disaster Aid.

Puerto Rico

By the Numbers:

  • 415 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $1,029,842 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $534,738 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $495,105 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

U.S. Virgin Islands

By the Numbers:

  • 2,265 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $1,526,828 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $384,219 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $1,142,608 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
  • $25,056,945 Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated** all of which are for Emergency Work (Categories A-B)

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

**Funds made available to the State via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.


Hurricane Harvey

FEMA

Texas

By the Numbers:

  • 321,244 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $1,065,882,029 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $815,683,611 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $250,198,418 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
  • $327,886,760 Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated** all of which are for Emergency Work (Categories A-B)

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

**Funds made available to the State via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.

The Transitional Sheltering Assistance program (TSA), which provides funding for survivors to stay at a hotel while searching for housing, has been extended to October 24. The previous deadline was October 10.

The original disaster declaration has been amended to include additional counties eligible for FEMA aid. Two additional counties have been approved for Individual Assistance, six counties have been approved for Public Assistance, and four additional counties have been approved for Public Assistance [Categories C-G] that provides for Federal Infrastructure Disaster Aid.

Local Perspectives

Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced that average daily attendance requirements, which generally play an important role in determining funding, will be adjusted for schools and districts in areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. The Commissioner hopes this prevent the state from penalizing schools that have been disrupted because of the storm.

Information from Other Organizations

Lone Star Legal Aid

Lone Star Legal Aid attorneys have contacted the office of Governor Greg Abbott regarding access to D-SNAP application sites for individuals with disabilities. Limited times and locations with no alternative forms of application are unduly burdensome for this community as they cannot always wait in long lines for hours on end. Attorneys have also found that public outreach about the D-SNAP process has been inadequate and that most people at shelters and disaster recovery centers have never heard of D-SNAP.

Lone Star Legal Aid also reports that a Debris Management Site (DMS) has opened near a low-income minority neighborhood in Port Arthur, despite regulations requiring DMS to not be located in areas that could cause harm to schools or neighborhoods, or disrupt local business. Executive Order 12898 from 1994 also requires localities receiving federal funds from a source such as FEMA to evaluate its actions for disproportionately high and adverse effects on minority or low income populations and find ways to avoid or minimize adverse impacts. The site has been operating for over a month, and attorneys at Lone Star Legal Aid have demanded the City of Port Arthur close the DMS as soon as possible.

Texas Low Income Housing Information Service & Texas Appleseed

The Texas Low Income Housing Information Service and Texas Appleseed sent a letter to Texas’s congressional delegation in response to a September 21 letter from the delegation to HUD Secretary Ben Carson. The organizations oppose:

  1. Lowering the CDBG programs’ requirement that 70% of the funds benefit low and moderate income households;
  2. Shortening the period for public review of and comment on a state’s CDBG-DR Action Plan from 30 days to seven days; and
  3. Allowing “maximum flexibility” regarding use of CDBG-DR funds among housing, infrastructure, and mitigation without data indicating which activities have the greatest need.