NLIHC is in close communication with our members and partners in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia, as well as their congressional delegations and the administration. NLIHC is monitoring Hurricane Florence’s impact on people in low income communities.
To help ensure an equitable and complete disaster housing recovery, NLIHC formed the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) in response to last year’s disasters. The DHRC now includes over 720 local, state and national organizations and impacted people, many with extensive experience with disaster housing relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts going back to Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, and most major disasters since.
To better coordinate advocacy efforts for low income survivors and communities impacted by Hurricane Florence, NLIHC will resume weekly national conference calls of the DHRC. In addition, we will provide more frequent disaster housing policy email updates, as needed. NLIHC maintains a Disaster Recovery site on its webpage containing a variety of resources including a compendium of federal disaster resources, policy recommendations to Congress, FEMA, and HUD, as well as a running record of disaster updates.
The DHRC stands ready to work with low income survivors and communities impacted by Hurricane Florence and we invite you to join our efforts. To learn more, go to: http://nlihc.org/disaster-housing-coalition
FEMA
North Carolina
A Major Disaster Declaration (DR-4393) was declared by President Trump on September 14, for eight counties in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence: Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, and Pender.
Individual Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. (For explanations of Individual Assistance (IA) programs, see FEMA HQ-18-127-FactSheet.)
Public Assistance is also available to the state, tribal, and eligible local governments as well as certain nonprofits on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the eight counties. This assistance can be in the form of debris removal (Category A) and emergency protective measures (Category B), as well as direct federal assistance. (For explanations of Public Assistance (IA) programs, see FEMA HQ-18-127-FactSheet.)
In addition, federal funding is available statewide for hazard mitigation measures on a cost-sharing basis. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides assistance to state and local governments and certain nonprofits to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural disasters.
Damage assessments are continuing in other areas of the state, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.
FEMA Administrator Brock Long named Albert Lewis as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Survivors may register with FEMA after filing an insurance claim. If internet access is available, the best way to register is:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or
- On the FEMA Mobile App.
Survivors can call 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585.
The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. Press 2 for Spanish and press 3 for other languages.
The Presidential Major Disaster Declaration is at: https://bit.ly/2NRkYlA
The FEMA page for North Carolina is at https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4393
The State of North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety has an Emergency Management has a webpage devoted to Hurricane Florence at: https://www.ncdps.gov/florence It shows which counties have evacuation orders, disaster declarations, the locations of shelters, and other basic state information.
South Carolina
A Major Disaster Declaration was declared by President Trump on September 16, for eight counties in South Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence: Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Orangeburg, and Williamsburg.
As of Memo publication time, FEMA has not posted the declaration. The White House version of the declaration does not mention eligibility for individual assistance. It only indicates that Public Assistance is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments as well as certain nonprofits on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures in those counties. In addition, federal funding is available statewide for hazard mitigation measures on a cost-sharing basis. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides assistance to state and local governments and certain nonprofits to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural disasters.
Damage assessments are continuing in other areas of the state, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.
FEMA Administrator Brock Long named Elizabeth Turner as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
The Presidential Major Disaster Declaration is at: https://bit.ly/2NfMEkC
Virginia
A Major Disaster Declaration has not been made for Virginia. An Emergency Declaration (EM-3403) was declared on September 11 in anticipation of Hurricane Florence. This has the possibility of providing Public Assistance to any county in the state to help the state, local, and tribal governments and certain nonprofits for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
The Virginia EM-3403 FEMA page is at: https://www.fema.gov//disaster/3403
HUD
Multifamily Office Prepares for Hurricane Florence
HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs held a stakeholder conference call on September 13 in anticipation of damage to HUD-assisted homes due to Hurricane Florence. HUD estimates that there are 2,465 HUD-assisted properties in the path of the storm in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. These properties have a total of 189,497 units, 86,993 of which are assisted units. The properties include those that are HUD-insured, non-HUD-insured with Project-Based Section 8 contracts, Use-Agreement-only properties, HUD-held mortgages, and Direct Loan/Grant properties.
In a blog, NLIHC estimated that as of the hurricane’s path Wednesday afternoon, there were nearly 455,000 affordable rental homes for very low income households in the potentially impacted areas of the hurricane and subsequent flooding. At the time of the estimate, there were nearly 87,000 federally assisted units in the potentially impacted area. NLIHC based its estimate on HUD data in the National Housing Preservation Database. Since the time HUD and NLIHC made their estimates, Hurricane Florence has taken a different path; we will revise and release new estimates this week.
During the stakeholder call, HUD encouraged owners on the call to have a plan for communicating with residents who evacuate, plan to contend with power outages, register with FEMA, and conduct property damage assessments as soon as possible.
HUD is urging Multifamily property owners with vacancies in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee to notify HUD. In addition, if they do have vacancies, HUD would like to know whether their properties have preferences for households displaced by a disaster.
Read NLIHC’s blog about the estimated number of low income families threatened by Hurricane Florence at: https://bit.ly/2NehNVT
The National Housing Preservation Database is at: https://bit.ly/2uzX5UW
Other Hurricane Florence Updates
- While many areas along the coast of the Carolinas have mandatory evacuations in place in response to Hurricane Florence, low income individuals and families might not have been able to afford evacuation. According to estimates made by NLIHC Wednesday afternoon before the hurricane’s path shifted, about 155,000 people in the storm’s path do not even have a car and many others may not have funds to cover expenses such as hotel rooms, gas, or emergency food.
- Portlight Strategies and the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies issued a statement in preparation for Hurricane Florence, reminding members of the additional risks faced by “disaster impacted children and adults with disabilities, older adults and others with access and functional needs.” The announcement reiterated the organization’s commitment to supporting FEMA and all emergency managers, including its provision of a Disability Hotline 800-626-4959 to offer emergency assistance for people with disabilities.