Hurricane Update, Tuesday, September 26, 2017

• Hurricane Maria

• Hurricane Irma

• Hurricane Harvey

HURRICANE MARIA

Department of Homeland Security

• Jones Act Still in Affect. Despite the devastation in Puerto Rico, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not plan to waive the Jones Act of 1920 that restricts foreign ships’ transportation of cargo to Puerto Rico and other areas affected by Hurricane Maria. DHS waived these restrictions during Harvey and Irma to quickly move oil to the East Coast. Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) has asked for a Jones Act waiver.

HURRICANE IRMA

FEMA

Florida

• By the Numbers: (unchanged from 9/25)
  • 144,407 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $124,387,092 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $56,284,303 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $68,102,790 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

• Operation Blue Roof. Twelve additional counties eligible.

Local Perspective

• Governor Orders Expedited Tarp Delivery. Governor Rick Scott directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to expedite the delivery of more than 10,000 tarps until the federal Blue Roof program is fully up and running. To date, more than 100,000 tarps have been distributed to patch damaged roofs.

HURRICANE HARVEY

FEMA

• By the Numbers: (no change from 9/25)
  • 213,062 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
  • $407,677,861 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
  • $276,665,092 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
  • $131,012,769 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
  • $203,906,217 Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated** all of which are for Emergency Work (Categories A-B)

*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.

**Funds made available to the State via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.

Local Perspective

• Lawsuit against HHA. Lone Star Legal Aid has filed a lawsuit on behalf of residents of a senior living facility owned by the Houston Housing Authority (HHA). More than three weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit, residents received notices to vacate, even though the vast majority of units were unaffected by flooding.