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 9/23).
Federal Action & National News
Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) member Enterprise Community Partners wrote an op-ed for Morning Consult on the need for affordable housing to be built to withstand natural disasters.
The Natural Resources Defense Council published a blog post looking at the greater rains, floods and costs of recent storms.
An op-ed by Jeff Schlegelmilch, deputy director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, highlighted the lack of consistency in federal funding for disaster recovery.
California Wildfires
Low-income, forested communities in California have proven to not only be the most vulnerable to wildfires but also the most lacking in funding for recovery. Although state legislation was passed to establish a $1 billion fund to assist low-income residents undertake repairs, that funding has been stripped.
Low-income people in California have been left out of housing-related efforts in disaster plans, continuing an historic pattern in which such plans are catered to white middle class families. Homelessness advocates have been calling on local governments to address this issue with FEMA so that a wider demographic of people are helped after wildfires, regardless of their pre-fire living situations.
Advocates have called for more affordable housing in areas of California like San Diego that are particularly wildfire-prone and where housing prices have increased dramatically in recent years.
Hurricane Michael & Hurricane Dorian
Florida
The Gulf County Board of Commissioners decided on a strategy to equally divide its almost $6 million in recovery funds among its districts.
Senator Gainer (R-FL) has plans to provide more affordable housing in the state in wake of the recent destructive hurricanes. The state has allocated $200 million for affordable housing, intending to use the funds to help those who have been displaced.
Tropical Storm Imelda
Texas
Low-income individuals affected by Tropical Storm Imelda can seek free legal help through Lone Star Legal Aid. The assistance provided can range from helping to resolve landlord-tenant issues to answering insurance questions, and more.
Hurricane Florence & Hurricane Dorian
North Carolina
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) has asked the federal government for disaster assistance after Hurricane Dorian struck the state earlier this month.
A year after Hurricane Florence, residents are wondering what happened to all the recovery money?
2017 Disasters
Hurricane Harvey: The Long Term Recovery Group has successfully raised $4.6 million in donations for Hope Meadows, a neighborhood built for forty Victoria County families whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.
2013 Colorado Floods
Mobile home residents in Colorado are still experiencing the effects of the 2013 floods. Many mobile homes that destroyed were never replaced.