National News
Although the Biden Administration has asked Congress for about $100 billion -disaster relief funds, some on the Hill are forecasting that the subsequent package will contain substantially less. Nonetheless, a bipartisan group of Senators pressed congressional leadership to quickly move toward a supplemental disaster appropriations bill, releasing a letter that read in part, “The message was clear: disaster relief cannot wait any longer. We urge you to bring a robust supplemental appropriations bill to the floor the first week of December.”
Considering recent hurricanes Milton and Helene, multiple congressional committees held oversight hearings on response and readiness to disaster events by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability both met on November 19 to interview FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. In both hearings, members emphasized the need for an efficient, effective, and nonpartisan response to hurricanes and any disaster events. Many lines of questions in both committees centered around a FEMA employee who was recently fired for telling other employees to avoid houses visibly displaying Trump signs. Administrator Criswell reported that the incident is under investigation through the Office of the Inspector General and reported that FEMA strives to achieve equity in its response to disaster declarations.
Rumors abound that retiring Representative Garret Graves (R-LA) is one of the top choices for FEMA Administrator under the incoming Trump administration. The prospect of Graves becoming the Administrator prompted positive quotes from former FEMA officials, as well as Emergency Management professional associations. While in Congress, Graves proved a consistent critic of FEMA and the current emergency management framework while also attempting to derail HUD-funded long-term recovery programs.
Hurricane Helene
On November 25, FEMA announced that they are extending North Carolina’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance an extra nine days, from December 3 to December 12. Out of 10,129 households sheltered in hotels after the hurricane, only 4,950 have moved out into longer-term housing. Since many housing options have simply “washed away,” suitable long-term housing is “increasingly difficult” to find, says Kelsey Stephens of the Veterans Services of the Carolinas. FEMA Direct Temporary Housing Assistance Programs have provided shelter to 27 families so far with 65 more in progress as of November 26, but more than 400 families approved for direct assistance are still waiting for assistance.
Margaret Fenton Lebeck, executive director of the Housing Assistance Corporation worries that despite the extension, there simply is not enough available housing in the state. Some North Carolina counties were at 99.7% occupancy before the hurricane, says MS Fenton Lebeck, meaning there is “literally nowhere” to rent. Housing Assistance Corp owns 12 apartment complexes in Henderson County rented to low-income families and builds around 10 single family homes per year, but construction projects could not keep up with housing demand even before the hurricane. The destruction of nearly 50 units and the increased demand from survivors across Henderson County has forced the organization to stop accepting applicants; some wait lists have reached up to two years.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that more survivors of Helene may be eligible for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Residents of parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee across 144 counties and two tribes are eligible for D-SNAP. In newly added South Carolina counties, applications are available until December 13.
Hurricane Milton
FEMA announced this week that the deadline for FEMA aid applications related to Hurricane Milton have been extended to January 7, 2025.
A mobile home park for retired individuals was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton, many are still recovering. More than 160 mobile homes in the community experienced flood damage and the community has been calling for volunteers to assist in removing debris.
The number of residential property claims attributed to Milton has increased to 302,581 claims filed in Florida. That’s up from 285,311 reported Milton insurance claims on November 18. Of those total claims blamed on Milton, 241,909 are the state’s residential property damage insurance claims. Another 11,730 are commercial property insurance claims attributed to the mid-October storm. Overall, insurance claims from Milton and Helene in Florida total $5.033 billion.
Hawai’i
On November 22, survivors of the Maui wildfires began to move into FEMA’s Kilohana Group Housing, nearly 15 months after the disaster. The site will house 167 individuals and families in Laihana, including the Folaumoeloa family who just moved in. While about 1,200 survivors remain in FEMA’s Direct Lease Program, Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin states that the community is “[taking] these blessings that [they] have.” The Kilohana Housing Group is FEMA’s first temporary home program to meet local and international building codes, with 94 units completed as of November 18.
Michigan
The Detroit City Council approved $48 million in disaster recovery funds in response to severe flooding in June 2021. The floods impacted around 30,000 households after more than six inches of rain fell within a 12-hour period. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan received $95.2 million disaster recovery funds from HUD after President Biden declared the event a national disaster. On November 26, after “considerable debate,” the City Council appropriated part of the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds. More than $18 million will go to improving emergency homeless shelters damaged by the floods, $17.3 million will support affordable rental housing projects, and around $10 million will help repair sewer drains that collapsed across the city. Some councilmembers have concerns that the remaining funds will be lost if they are not obligated soon, while others believe more of the affordable housing funds should have been allocated to drainage repairs.