Additional Disaster Housing Recovery Updates, October 14, 2019

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 10/07).

Federal Action & National News

FEMA Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor wrote an op-ed published in The Hill on the one-year anniversary of the “Disaster Recovery Reform Act,” saying the agency has enacted nearly 50% of the law’s provisions.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) and Marion McFadden from Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC)-member Enterprise Community Partners wrote an op-ed published in The Hill on the importance of passing the “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act,” which would formally authorize and improve HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) released a climate justice plan that called for $1 trillion in resiliency funding for at-risk communities across the country.

The recovery workforce in many parts of the country is largely composed of immigrants from Central America. The work is difficult and often dangerous. DHRC member Resilience Force has been attempting to organize these workers and to ensure they can do their jobs safely.

An international team of researchers found that the costs of major disasters are rapidly increasing.

Tropical Storm Imelda & Hurricane Harvey

Texas

A Federal Disaster Declaration was issued on October 4 following the landfall of Tropical Storm Imelda in Texas. This declaration will provide for FEMA Individual Assistance to people in Chambers, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, and Orange Counties with up to $35,500 per household for damages.  

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) and Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) argued with one another on social media about who was to blame for the slow Hurricane Harvey recovery.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott made it clear on October 4 that the incoming CDBG-DR funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery will be managed by the state and not by local and municipal governments. 

California Wildfires

Approximately 70,000 victims of the Camp Fire last year could miss out on compensation from Pacific Gas & Electric. Many of these victims include low-income people who were displaced and/or became homeless because of the fire.

The survivors of the 2017 California Wildfires are coming up on the two-year anniversary of the disaster, which means that, under California law at the time, insurance companies no longer have to provide coverage for living expenses. For many low-income people, however, two years has not been enough time to recover, and they require additional assistance.

Hurricane Michael

Florida

One year since Hurricane Michael made landfall, federal aid for the Florida Panhandle has reached almost $1.9 billion. This includes $319.7 million approved in FEMA Individual Assistance, a critical resource for low-income families affected by the storm.

Approximately 5,000 survivors of Hurricane Michael in Bay County are still homeless almost a year after the storm hit. For the relatively few people who have found living arrangements, rent has dramatically increased in the past year, imposing a heavy financial burden.  

Hurricane Florence & Hurricane Dorian

North Carolina

FEMA has rejected North Carolina’s request for Individual Assistance in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, which is especially devastating for low-income families who depend on that assistance to recover. 

2017 Disasters

Hurricane Maria and Irma: A study found the economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands is lagging behind that of Puerto Rico as both territories recover from major hurricanes in 2017. Analysts point to hotel openings and tourism dollars as the major drivers of the difference.