The following is a review of additional disaster housing recovery developments since the last edition of Memo to Members and Partners (for the article in the previous Memo, see 11/25).
Federal Action & National News
Members of Congress from Missouri sent a letter to FEMA requesting clarification on how the agency determined disaster declarations for areas of the state that experienced flooding last spring.
Both Texas and North Carolina released state action plans detailing the use of each states’ federal mitigation funding. Each state must allow for 45 days of public comment before submitting the plan to HUD for approval.
A new report by the HUD Office of the Inspector General calls for a number of potential reforms to the agency’s disaster recovery programs, including the codification of the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program. The recently House-passed “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act,” supported by the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC), does just that.
Midwest Flooding
South Dakota
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) released her state budget, which has special allocations of disaster relief loans and support for local governments that dealt with disastrous flooding earlier this year.
Midwest Tornados
FEMA has yet to release its determination as to whether the tornado outbreak that struck Dallas earlier this year will warrant a federal disaster declaration. Local officials are increasingly concerned that the state and local governments will be required to pay for the recovery on their own.
Tropical Storm Imelda & Hurricane Harvey
Texas
Governor Abbott extended the disaster declaration for Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey; the declaration was first issued in August 2017. The extension has the potential of aiding more low-income families where individual assistance is still being distributed.
An apartment complex in Rockport, TX, that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey has been repaired. The complex will house 40 low- and moderate-income families.
FEMA stopped accepting applications for assistance from survivors of Hurricane Imelda in Montgomery County, TX.
California Wildfires
Advocates working to rebuild affordable housing after the Camp Fire originally financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits are running into an unexpected issue: The IRS could require repayment of the credits if the homes are not rebuilt within two years.
Paradise California is looking rebuild a more beautiful and resilient community.
Underinsurance, lack of qualified contractors, and a hot housing sector are combining to worsen the affordable housing crisis in Southern California in the wake of the destructive fires of 2018 and 2019.
Hurricane Michael
Florida
An editorial in the Miami Herald is calling out the forced evictions carried out by landlords before past Florida hurricanes and the need for the Florida legislature to protect renters against the practice. In the case of Hurricane Dorian, 470 eviction notices were filed during the state of emergency in Miami-Dade, and 421 were filed in the days leading up to the declaration.
Hurricane Florence & Hurricane Dorian
North Carolina
Nonprofits in Wilmington, NC, have raised $250,000 assisting aid in affordable housing efforts on the coast post-Hurricane Florence. The efforts will mostly focus on people who were living in mobile home parks that got severely damaged during the storm and who do not have insurance to fall back on.
2016 and 2017 Disasters
Hurricane Maria: A new examination of FEMA records indicates that the recovery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from Hurricanes Maria and Irma have stalled, leaving infrastructure on both islands in limbo.
Hurricane Maria: Because of Puerto Rico’s current levels of debt, the island cannot access loans to speed up recovery efforts, making them completely reliant on HUD and FEMA aid.
Hurricane Maria: Some parts of Puerto Rico are recovering from Hurricanes Maria and Irma, predominantly tourist-centered and higher-income coastal areas. Some warn that such trends will dramatically worsen inequality on the island.
Hurricane Sandy: As New Jersey continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy, some look to the lessons of Hurricane Floyd for guidance.
Hurricane Sandy: The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is proposing a transfer of $20 million in federal funding to repair and replace Atlantic City infrastructure and public facilities.