Latest Disaster Housing Recovery Updates

Hurricane Ian

FEMA has made individual assistance available to 26 counties in Florida. Residents in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, and Volusia counties are eligible to apply for individual assistance.

FEMA claims it has provided $420 million in assistance to help survivors jumpstart their recovery processes.

Florida survivors who applied for FEMA disaster assistance after Hurricane Ian are being asked to provide current contact information to ensure the application review process stays on track.

Many survivors in the Fort Myers area who have been unable to access alternative housing have been staying in the Hertz Arena. Families are reporting that this hockey arena becomes so cold at night that ice forms along the floor.

FEMA has released a new fact sheet, “Personal Property and FEMA Assistance,” for individuals in the 26 counties eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis released a press release giving the latest updates on state recovery efforts.

Officials in hard-hit Charlotte County are predicting a long recovery.

The causeway between the Florida mainland and Sanibel Island has been reopened after being washed out by Hurricane Ian. Repairs on the three-mile causeway took three weeks.

Officials in Bay County, Florida, who lived through Hurricane Michael in 2018 have traveled southward to assist officials in counties impacted by Ian and help provide expertise and ideas about how to avoid pitfalls that affected the panhandle after Michael.

An overloaded stormwater management system has meant that even light rains renew flooding in the Naples area, impacting recovery efforts.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams have reached Brevard County to talk over available assistance with disaster survivors.

Seniors in Naples who relied on assistance services and senior centers have had their mental health care disrupted by the storm.

An untold number of cars have been destroyed by Hurricane Ian, with some estimates putting the number at more than 20,000. A resulting rush for rental cars has led to severe shortages along the east coast of Florida.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are debating whether to change the use of “cones of uncertainty” to delineate the potential path of the center of a hurricane on weather maps. Confusion over the meaning of the cone, which is meant to delineate areas expected to be impacted by the hurricane instead of the path of the storm itself, may have affected decisions regarding pre-storm evacuations in Florida.

Hurricane Fiona

Additional FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) are now open in Jayuya and Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. 

FEMA has released a new fact sheet to describe how homeowners and renters who apply for federal disaster assistance can show they lived in a disaster-damaged residence before Hurricane Fiona struck. 

FEMA is attempting to bolster the number of local Puerto Rican employees on its staff as it responds to Hurricane Fiona. The agency has announced available positions for Applicant Services Program Specialists, Voluntary Agency Liaison Specialists, and Information Management Managers. Those who are hired locally typically work for 120 days.

Black Puerto Rican communities are struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. Operations in some Black communities on the island remain in disarray, and many communities have been left off of the initial list of areas approved for assistance.

According to one recent article, Puerto Rico is contending with two storms: Hurricane Fiona and colonialism.

The climate injustices experienced by those in Puerto Rico are similar to those experienced in Jackson, Mississippi.

Hurricane Fiona massively impacted Puerto Rico’s agricultural sector, destroying $159 million worth of crops.

Congressional and Federal Updates

In an op-ed published in The Hill, former Congressman Rick Lazio, incoming board chair of DHRC partner Enterprise Community Partners, has called on Congress to pass the “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act.” The act would permanently authorize HUD’s long-term disaster recovery program, improving the speed and equity of long-term recovery.

Florida Senator Marco Rubia released a request for a disaster supplemental spending bill with $33 billion for Hurricane Ian recovery. The plan includes $5 billion in HUD long-term recovery money but is viewed by some as insufficient given the impact of the hurricane.

State and Local

Alaska

FEMA housing inspectors arrived in Bethel and St. Michael on October 15 to help survivors of September’s severe storm apply for assistance. FEMA representatives will help register residents for assistance and answer questions concerning the application process and what will follow. 

Nebraska 

A Nebraska community is grappling with rebuilding following the Bovee Fire, which burned nearly 30 square miles of central Nebraska earlier this month. 

New York 

State officials announced that $7.6 million in federal funding had been provided by FEMA to support emergency management agencies as they promote planning and operational readiness for disaster response at the county level. 

Texas 

To help mitigate the effects of disasters on affordable housing, two Texas-based nonprofits are building disaster resilient affordable homes for low-income people of color. Residents can choose to build a home they can afford through an affordable housing homeownership model. 

Texas A&M Forest Service urges Texas residents to have an evacuation plan in case of a wildfire emergency or other disaster during Fire Prevention Month, which occurs every October.

Washington

FEMA approved the use of a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) to help cover the costs of fighting the Nakia Creek Fire, which is burning in Clark and Skamania counties.