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 10/21).
Federal Action & National News
The Government Accountability Office released a “Disaster Resiliency Framework” to guide analysis of federal resiliency planning and programming.
HUD will be holding a webinar on the use of Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds on October 30. The webinar is geared toward potential grantees and advocates.
Renters of low-income housing face much greater challenges than other higher-income renters in response to weather-related events. There have been recent calls for more climate-resilient low-income housing.
A new study on home-buyout programs shows that community participation makes them more effective.
Natural disasters are proving to have a significant effect on the U.S. housing market. Studies have shown that delinquency rates rise in areas affected by natural disasters, even in homes that were not directly affected by the storms.
Midwest Tornadoes
The damage is still being evaluated from the nine tornados that recently struck northern Texas and parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Dallas was hit by three tornadoes alone with large scale damage but no fatalities. Four people were killed by the storms in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for multiple North Texas counties as a result of the tornado outbreak.
Tropical Storm Imelda & Hurricane Harvey
Texas
The first Disaster Recovery Centers focusing on Tropical Storm Imelda recovery have opened in Southeast Texas.
Candidates for Houston City Council answered questions on flood mitigation and recovery on Houston Public Media.
The Port Aransas housing market is still heavily impacted by the effects of Hurricane Harvey as it lost much of its workforce housing after the storm. There are proposals being offered to establish more affordable housing in the area to bring back some of their much-needed workers to the popular tourist destination.
California Wildfires
One year after the Camp Fire, the recovery in Paradise CA is slowly progressing.
Lawyers raised concerns that nearly 70,000 survivors of recent wildfires would miss out on restitution payments by the California power company PG&E. The rate of applications is worryingly low as the window for applications closes today, October 28.
PG&E announced that intentional blackouts aimed at lessening the risk of destructive wildfires would resume soon.
Survivors of the recent Sandalwood fire in Southern California are working to recover, although many lacked home insurance.
Hurricane Michael and Tropical Storm Nestor
Florida
Tropical Storm Nestor brought several tornados to the Florida panhandle, striking areas that saw the worst of Hurricane Michael’s destruction.
Florid Governor Ron DeSantis (R) recently approved access to $633 million for disaster mitigation projects through the CDBG-MIT program. The projects have the potential to better prepare Florida communities for the destructive impacts of future disasters, especially for low-income residents.
Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate wrote an op-ed calling for bold strategies to help the Florida panhandle recover from the destruction of Hurricane Michael. Mr. Fugate writes that housing must be “job #1” and that recovery authorities must do more to reach individuals made housing-unstable by the storm.
Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Dorian, and Tropical Storm Nestor
North Carolina
After passing over Florida, Tropical Storm Nestor dropped several inches of rain over central North Carolina. The storm headed out to sea on October 19.
2016 and 2017 Disasters
Hurricane Irma: U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. is concerned that expiring recovery funds could put the territory over the “Medicaid cliff.”
Hurricane Maria: Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) member Hispanic Federation and Nestle have announced they will plant 2.25 million coffee trees in Puerto Rico in the hopes of revitalizing the coffee industry in the territory.
Hurricane Sandy: As the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Sandy draws near, New York City authorities and residents are debating how best to prepare for the next storm.
Hurricane Sandy: Three New Jersey mayors called for greater resiliency spending and planning in an op-ed. They warned that climate change is making disastrous storms more likely in the future.