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 02/24).
Federal Action & National News
Thousands of Americans still do not have flood insurance, reports Marketplace. The number of insured households in Mississippi – which has been experiencing record flooding – has declined by 10,000 in recent years. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said that families that cannot afford the high insurance premiums have “either got to lower their standard of living or move somewhere else.”
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) introduced the “Preventing Disaster Revictimization Act.” The bill would prevent FEMA from asking disaster victims to return financial assistance provided in error. The bill also would require the agency to report on the number of errors it has had in its financial assistance program.
Midwest Flooding
Farm safety experts shared lessons learned almost one year after historic Nebraska flooding.
It is unclear where the additional $63.3 million needed to rebuild and repair Iowa flood victims’ homes will come from. Residents are especially concerned because they face the threat of more flooding this year.
Puerto Rico Earthquakes
Vox published an overview of the disaster recovery crisis in Puerto Rico, specifically citing the emergency earthquake-assistance legislation passed by the House earlier this month. The bill has yet to be taken up by the Senate.
Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery Special Representative Rear Admiral Peter J. Brown will be the keynote speaker at the Puerto Rico Conference 2020 “Empowering Investment” on February 26.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont is allocating $75,000 from the Connecticut Department of Housing’s operating budget to house earthquake evacuees from Puerto Rico.
Tropical Storm Imelda & Hurricane Harvey
Texas
Hidalgo County Commissioner David Fuentes was recognized for successfully bringing together officials to receive billions of dollars in federal disaster relief to the region. He convened Democrats, Republicans, members of Congress, HUD, and FEMA to discuss and build support for responding to the needs of South Texas, according to Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX).
Natural disasters from 2019 are expected to bring an increase in mortgage delinquencies for potentially the next 12 months or more in Texas and other impacted areas.
Group flood insurance policies provided to 6,704 Texas households will end on October 24. FEMA provided these policies to families affected by Hurricane Harvey, but the agency says those who do not buy standard flood insurance policies after the group insurance expires will likely not receive federal disaster assistance for their homes after future floods.
Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence
North Carolina
The Planning Board of Lumberton, NC, approved a re-zoning request for 72 affordable multi-family units to be rebuilt because of damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The City Council will hear the request on March 4.
South Carolina
The South Carolina House Ways and Means Committee voted to add $50 million to its budget proposal to create a disaster relief fund to protect against future catastrophic damage in the state.
Horry County, SC, leaders are attempting to obtain federal funding from HUD or FEMA to implement a flood-mitigation buyout program for their flood-prone areas.
California Wildfires
Seana O’Shaughnessy, president of Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC)-member Community Housing Improvement Program of Chico, CA, offered comments in opposition to state plans to allocate over $100 million in federal housing funding to fire-damaged areas based on the amount of shovel-ready projects instead of housing need. Ms. O’Shaughnessy argued that allocating the funding in this way benefits resource-rich counties while punishing the areas hardest hit.
Butte County, CA, which suffered extensive damage in the 2017 Camp Fire, is seeking to receive a substantial share of the nearly $1 billion in disaster recovery funds allocated to the state by HUD, but it will likely take more than a year to find out where the funds will be directed.
The issue of how to best distribute the $100 million in housing tax credits for communities impacted by California wildfires is being debated among officials and housing developers.
Hurricane Michael
Florida
Millions of dollars in disaster relief have not been sufficient to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Michael, according to the North Florida Long Term Recovery Group, and rebuilding projects have slowed dramatically.