The following is a review of disaster housing recovery developments since the last edition of Memo to Members and Partners (for the article in the previous Memo, see 3/18).
2018 California Wildfires
The organizers of Butte County’s annual homeless count, taking place on March 28, are still seeking volunteers. The number of people experiencing homelessness is expected to have increased since last year because of the wildfires.
Hundreds of California wildfire survivors are still living in cars, shelters, tents and other makeshift housing as FEMA struggles to find locations to place temporary housing units. Installing a single trailer at some sites requiring months to prepare could cost approximately $150,000. FEMA reports it has received nearly 27,000 valid registrations for individual assistance but has approved fewer than 8,000.
Hurricane Michael
Florida
Hurricane Michael damaged or destroyed the homes of nearly 800 prison employees, and 284 were completely displaced. The storm’s impact on the area has increased job vacancies in correctional facilities and sent thousands of inmates to other facilities across the state.
The superintendent of Bay District Schools spoke with the Florida State Board of Education on March 19 to address his students’ greatest challenges: “[the lack of] housing and the mental capacity of all of us to deal with what we’re facing.” Since December, schools in Bay County have seen a spike in mental health referrals for children; as Superintendent Husfelt points out, however, the area has no housing available for additional counselors.
Hurricane Florence
North Carolina
New Hanover County Commissioners approved plans guiding hurricane recovery and mitigation on March 18. The plans include affordable housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery. Hurricane Florence struck six months ago, and local officials and residents are still focused on finding funding for affordable housing.
2017 Disasters
Federal Response
HUD-approved Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) state action plans for California, Southern Georgia, and Missouri. These plans are for funds appropriated for the 2017 disasters.
The U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) released on March 14 the report “Puerto Rico Hurricanes: Status of FEMA Funding, Oversight, and Recovery Challenges” as part of the ongoing review of disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. The report reviewed program documents, funding data, and interviews with officials and found problems with incomplete, missing or conflicting guidance from FEMA as well as a lack of guidance for the alternative procedures process.
House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) led a congressional delegation to Puerto Rico that included a public hearing on March 15. Local officials and residents took the opportunity to voice frustration with austerity measures and slow and inadequate disaster recovery.
FEMA extended the Direct Temporary Housing Program for survivors of the October 2017 California wildfires.
Local Perspectives and Resources
Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department published a new report, The Harvey Data Project, the result of the City of Houston’s efforts to more accurately assess the housing damage and impact on vulnerable communities resulting from Hurricane Harvey. The report found FEMA undercounted the damage by nearly $2 billion, disproportionately impacting low-income communities.
Residents of Salinas, Puerto Rico, are still living in a damaged community, hindered by smaller amounts of FEMA assistance and non-Spanish speaking FEMA employees.