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 6/10).
Federal Action
- The House Financial Services Committee held a debate on June 12 on a 5-year extension for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) submitted bipartisan legislation to extend the program and implement reforms providing for flood risk disclosures, umbrella coverage for multifamily housing, and local assistance for mitigation measures. View a section-by-section breakdown of the bill here.
- FEMA published NFIP data for claims and policy records stretching back to 1978. These data complement existing records available through the agency’s OpenFEMA initiative.
Midwest Flooding
Arkansas
- On June 9, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for parts of northwest and central Arkansas. The state has suffered catastrophic flooding beginning on May 21. Individual Assistance (IA) has been made available to affected individuals in eight counties and municipalities in 16 counties.
Nebraska and Iowa
- FEMA has been struggling to fill part-time temporary positions because of low unemployment rates in flood-ravaged Nebraska and Iowa. With lower numbers of staff available, individuals seeking FEMA funds to repair their homes will have to wait longer.
South Dakota
- On June 8, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for areas in South Dakota. Spring in the state has seen flooding and severe winter storms. Individual Assistance (IA) has been made available to residents of 12 counties. Funding for emergency measures has been made available to municipalities and tribal governments in more than 50 counties.
California Wildfires
- The California Office of Emergency Services reports that more than 1.3 million tons of debris have been removed from properties impacted by the Camp Fire.
- Ryan Buras has been appointed as the new deputy director of recovery operations for the California governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Originally from Maryland, Mr. Buras was a director of the national qualification system in the National Integration Center at FEMA.
Hurricane Michael
Florida
- On June 11, Panama City Beach hosted a disaster housing symposium featuring experts from FEMA, Fannie Mae and other organizations from around the country. Attendees discussed post-disaster housing solutions, ranging from creating community land trusts to converting shipping containers into modular homes.
Hurricane Florence
North Carolina
- On June 11, Panama City Beach hosted a disaster housing symposium featuring experts from FEMA, Fannie Mae and other organizations from around the country. Attendees discussed post-disaster housing solutions, ranging from creating community land trusts to converting shipping containers into modular homes.
South Carolina
- After passage of the $19.1 billion federal disaster relief package, South Carolina lawmakers say they still do not know how much of that aid the state will receive while officials rework their evacuation, shelter and infrastructure plans.
2017 Disasters
- Hurricane Harvey: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has extended his 2017 disaster declaration for southeast Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey. The declaration waives certain administrative burdens on repair and recovery efforts.
- 2017 California Fires: With destroyed utilities and infrastructure, California’s housing department declared homes in disaster areas not touched by fire uninhabitable. They did so to allow residents of these homes to access FEMA and insurance aid. That aid has yet to come.
- Hurricane Irma: The Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority’s Rental Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program will launch on July 1. The program provides landlords up to $50,000 per unit in repair assistance. The program is designed to bolster the amount of affordable housing on the islands.