William “Brock” Long resigned as Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator on February 13, after serving in that role for two years. Mr. Long oversaw the response to more than 220 declared disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. He had been facing scrutiny over the past year for his use of $94,000 in travel expenses and vehicle maintenance that the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general deemed unnecessary. FEMA’s press secretary stated that Mr. Long’s resignation is unrelated to the investigation. Mr. Long’s interim replacement will be Deputy Administrator Peter Gaynor.
In a statement, NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel said, “Brock Long has repeatedly failed to address the housing needs of the lowest-income disaster survivors, including people with disabilities, seniors, families with children, and those experiencing homelessness prior to a disaster. Under Long’s tenure, FEMA has been inexplicably, inexcusably and repeatedly slow to assist the lowest income disaster survivors meet their most basic need: a safe, affordable place to call home.”
On behalf of NLIHC and its Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition of more than 800 local, state, and national organizations, Ms. Yentel called on President Trump to “use this resignation as an opportunity to appoint someone who is up for the job and who is committed to undoing the harm caused by Mr. Long.”
She also urged Congress to hold FEMA accountable for its failure to meet the basic housing needs of people with the lowest incomes and to formulate and implement reforms to ensure equitable disaster housing recovery.
Read NLIHC’s statement at: https://nlihc.org/news/statement-national-low-income-housing-coalition-president-and-ceo-diane-yentel-resignation