Hurricane Ian
On Wednesday, October 5, President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell traveled to Fort Myers, Florida, to meet with small-business owners and local residents impacted by Hurricane Ian and thank the federal, state, and local officials working around the clock to provide lifesaving assistance, restore power, distribute food and water, remove debris, and begin rebuilding efforts.
Highlands and Lake counties are now eligible for FEMA assistance following Hurricane Ian. These counties join Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, and Volusia counties in being approved for Individual Assistance.
Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic flooding in inland areas of Florida after the storm battered the coast. While coastal flooding was created by storm surge, inland flooding was caused by rain.
FEMA has released a new fact sheet on citizenship and FEMA eligibility that outlines how noncitizens may access services and supports. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Routine (ICE) stated that non-criminal immigration enforcement operations will not be conducted at evacuation sites or assistance centers such as shelters or food banks. In addition, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remind the public that sites that provide emergency response and relief are considered protected areas.
FEMA released a fact sheet on the availability of public assistance for houses of worship and private nonprofit organizations.
Overall, nearly 300 FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) specialists are active in Florida helping survivors apply for assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) has approved a waiver to allow Florida households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds to purchase hot foods with SNAP benefits through October 31, 2022. FNS also approved waivers to allow Florida residents to receive meals in non-congregate locations through the Child Nutrition Programs.
HUD announced the implementation of federal disaster relief for the State of Florida to assist state, tribal, and local recovery efforts for areas affected by Hurricane Ian. Among other programs, HUD will share FEMA and state information on housing providers that may have available units in impacted counties, such as public housing agencies and multi-family owners. The department will also provide flexibilities to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees, those utilizing the Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) program, and Housing Trust Fund programs, as well as to public housing agencies and tribes. HUD also issued a memorandum explaining the changes.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program policyholders are beginning to receive distributed funds. To date, FEMA has provided $3.5 million in advance payments to policyholders who have started the claim process. FEMA has also taken steps to ease burdens on its policyholders as they begin to clean up and repair, including allowing some who need to renew policies to take advantage of flood insurance benefits.
Hurricane Ian has heightened Florida’s affordable housing crisis, exacerbating inequities in relief and recovery efforts. Those without renters’ insurance are having an even more difficult time beginning the recovery process.
Public housing in Key West, Florida, was significantly impacted by Hurricane Ian. The storm impacted the Florida Keys early in its approach to the continental U.S.
In Florida, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has activated its Operation Blue Roof program for parishes approved for individual assistance.
The remnants of Hurricane Ian impacted Maryland and Delaware beaches throughout last week, causing substantial eroding and flooding several coastal towns.
Escaping a hurricane like Ian is often easier said than done. The logistics of evacuation can be extremely daunting for those with specific needs, according to a recent article in The Atlantic.
Hurricane Fiona
Survivors of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico are being offered several quicker alternatives to initiate the recovery process when applying for FEMA disaster assistance than the regular FEMA registration phoneline. These options include downloading a FEMA application and visiting www.disasterassistance.gov or the nearest joint Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). Additional FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers have opened in Barranquitas and Río Grande.
The Puerto Rico Health Department is estimating that at least 25 deaths are linked to Hurricane Fiona.
President Biden reiterated that homeowners, renters, and business owners are eligible to apply for federal help to recover from damages and losses caused by Hurricane Fiona during remarks in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on October 3.
President Biden’s comments in support of the island were appreciated, but some wonder whether the administration is promising enough.
More than 101,000 households were still without power as of October 5, two weeks after Hurricane Fiona impacted Puerto Rico.
HUD issued a memorandum explaining the availability of suspensions and waivers of certain statutory and regulatory requirements associated with several Community Planning and Development (CPD) grant programs, including the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, to address damage and facilitate recovery from Hurricane Fiona.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has directed the USDA to aid recovery efforts for farmers, ranchers, and residents affected by Hurricane Fiona. USDA staff in offices across the country are ready to respond with a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to producers and communities in need.
Hurricane Fiona’s landfall on the fifth-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria had substantial impact on the mental health of Puerto Ricans.
Congressional and Executive Actions
Congress approved a continuing resolution (CR) to continue funding the federal government through December 16. The bill – passed by the Senate with a vote of 72-25 earlier this month and by the House of Representatives with a vote of 230-201 on September 30 – includes a number of disaster recovery measures. Chief among them is nearly $2 billion in HUD long-term disaster recovery funds for disasters occurring in 2021 and 2022. In addition, the bill includes $2.5 billion for recovery following the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire – the largest blaze in New Mexico’s history, which was started earlier this year after a federal forestry management control blaze became uncontrolled. The money will be used as a restitution fund for victims of that fire. Finally, the bill provides dollars for the Disaster Relief Fund. The money is to be apportioned in ways that strengthen the agency’s response to 2022 disasters.
Congress passed the “Small Project Efficient and Effect Disaster Recovery (SPEED) Act” on September 29. The bill, sponsored by Representative Garret Graves (R-LA), increases the number of projects able to take advantage of streamlined procedures for disbursement through FEMA’s Public Assistance program via the Stafford Act’s “small project threshold,” which permits these procedures for projects deemed small in size and scope. The bill changes the threshold to $1 million. FEMA Public Assistance is a reimbursement-based program to provide funds to state and local governments responding to disasters.
The Senate unanimously passed the “FIRE Act” on September 28 to strengthen FEMA’s wildfire preparedness and response efforts. The bill would boost preparedness efforts by making resources available to areas before fires even start. FEMA would monitor red-flag warnings, which are announced by the National Weather Service during periods of heightened wildfire risk. The bill would also make it easier for local governments to access FEMA funding for future recovery efforts.
Florida’s Senate delegation sent a letter to U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee leadership on September 30 requesting a disaster supplemental to provide assistance to Florida and Puerto Rico.
Congressman Matt Gaetz is requesting federal assistance to Florida following Hurricane Ian, just two days after he voted against a stop-gap measure that included $18.8 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.
State and Local Updates
Alaska
Western Alaska communities will receive over $1 million in recovery funding to help recovery efforts following a massive storm in September. According to the Alaska Community Foundation, over $500,000 will be disbursed this month to the towns that need the funds most, with the rest of the money being distributed in early November. For households, the aid can help pay for repairs, damages, and temporary housing. Businesses can also apply for funds to help offset the costs of physical damage and economic losses caused by the storm.
California
More than a dozen volunteers are helping homeowners build new homes in Paradise, California, nearly four years after the Camp Fire. The Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), USDA Rural Development, and Wells Fargo are backing the project.
California has passed two laws to protect certain wildfire victims from state taxes being imposed on their legal settlements in wildfire cases. However, the IRS still treats lawsuit settlements as taxable. Congressmen Doug LaMalfa (CA-R) and Mike Thompson (CA-D) introduced a bill to exempt certain fire victims from paying federal income tax on their settlements.
Kentucky
The Mayfield-Graves County Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) claims that of the housing in the Mayfield community destroyed by the December tornado, 70% was rental housing. With many residents “essentially homeless,” the LTRG hopes to reclaim vacant properties and rent those homes to people in need of housing.
Governor Andy Beshear created an advisory council to help guide responses to natural disasters and prepare communities for future disasters with the goal of being ready for whatever disaster comes next. Floyd County has already formed a committee to help flood victims return to normal life.
FEMA extended the deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance to October 28 for Eastern Kentucky homeowners and renters who saw their properties damaged or washed away by the July floods.
Louisiana
Residents of the Lake Charles area are set to receive more than $1 billion in federal long-term recovery funds to help rebuild from Hurricanes Laura and Delta after more than two years. After the two storms hit Lake Charles less than two months apart, the area has struggled to recover, even with immediate help from FEMA and other federal agencies. Housing continues to be one of the area’s biggest needs. The state plans to use funds for economic revitalization, construction of new rental properties, and infrastructure repairs in storm-affected areas.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) is funding an 80-unit affordable multifamily apartment development in Fayetteville called McArthur Park II. The apartments help meet key housing needs stemming from housing loss from the damage caused by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, while also allowing residents to stay in their community. In total, the NCORR program has committed more than $81.4 million in funding to projects that will create more than 1,000 affordable rental units for storm-impacted regions of the state.
Oregon
According to Oregon Housing and Community Services, HUD has approved Oregon’s Action Plan to spend $422 million to assist communities and survivors who continue to recover from the 2020 Labor Day Fires through Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. Administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services, these funds helped set up efforts called ReOregon, which will provide new permanent housing in areas most impacted by the fires to help individuals, households, and communities recover. Affordable housing options, including rental and homeownership options, will be accepting applications in the coming year. The funding will help provide hundreds of new homes for low- and moderate-income households, with preferences being made for survivors in the counties hardest hit by the fires.