Congressional and National Updates
HUD and FEMA published a joint report on their Pre-Disaster Housing Planning Initiative. The report is the result of an effort by the agencies to convene stakeholders from multiple states over the last year and a half to draft unique plans for responding to housing needs after disasters.
Representative Troi Carter (D-LA) introduced “H.R. 9036,” which would amend the Small Business Act to provide for cancellation or repayment for Small Business Administration disaster loans, in the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) introduced “H.R. 9092,” which would amend the Stafford Act to cover responses to extreme heat events, in the House.
Representatives from Iowa introduced “H.R. 9081” in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would provide emergency tax relief for taxpayers affected by severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes in certain Iowa counties.
Representatives Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) introduced “H.R. 9064,” or the Energy Storage for Resilient Homes Act, in the House. The bill would assist households in purchasing generator batteries for use during power outages.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing in July on Environmental Protection Agency oversight. In her remarks, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) discussed urban heat islands and their disproportionate impact on low-income neighborhoods.
For many years, the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) has organized and advocated for solutions to our broken disaster recovery system, especially the bipartisan “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act” (RDRA), which would permanently authorize the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, providing states, tribes, and communities with flexible, long-term recovery resources needed to rebuild affordable housing and infrastructure after a disaster. Yet a new bill, the “Natural Disaster Recovery Program Act” (H.R. 1605), aims to replace the CDBG-DR program with an even more opaque and less accountable system with no protections to ensure long-term recovery resources reach households in need. This bill may see a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in September. Join us in calling and emailing members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to urge them to oppose H.R. 1605 and advance the “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act.” Sponsored by Representatives David Rouzer (R-NC) and Garret Graves (R-LA), the Natural Disaster Recovery Program Act would create an alternative to CDBG-DR hosted by FEMA and allowing Congress to send long-term recovery funds to that agency instead of HUD. FEMA would then grant the funds to states and localities with little oversight, save for a report to Congress when half the program funds had been expended. The bill includes no requirement that funds be spent on housing or be used to assist low- or moderate-income households and no requirement that public input about the use of funds be accepted. Read more about the importance of permanently authorizing HUD’s long-term recovery program here.
Arizona
The Watch Fire, which began on July 10, has burned through the San Carlos Apache Tribal Land, destroying 13 homes and leaving 75 people without homes. More than 400 people have been evacuated in what tribal officials are calling the “most serious fire on the reservation in at least 30 years.” Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs approved $400,000 for community support, and the tribe declared a state of emergency. On July 14, FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant for the fire. At the time of writing, the fire remained entirely uncontained.
Florida
Affordable housing funding for Hurricane Ian response has been cut by the Sarasota County Commission. Initially, $40 million of a $201.5 million HUD grant was allocated towards affordable housing projects. However, only $28 million was distributed to five of 19 program applicants. Commissioner Neil Rainford believed funding should “more closely correspond to tangible Ian impacts.” Affordable Housing Program applicants requested more than $148 million. Housing costs total about 66% of the unmet needs associated with Hurricane Ian response.
Idaho
The Texas Fire, which originated near Kendrick, Idaho, on July 15, has destroyed four houses and threatened as many as 60. The Latah County Sheriff’s office issued a “Go Now” Level 3 evacuation, with the residents of surrounding areas warned to be ready for potential evacuation. FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie Nunn approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant request to help fight the fire. As of July 24, the fire was 80% contained.
Illinois
Severe weather – including tornadoes – impacted communities across Illinois and the Midwest during the week of July 14. Hundreds of thousands of residents across the Midwest lost power, and water overtopped a dam near Nashville, Illinois. Around 300 people were evacuated from the nearby area, but no injuries were reported from the dam failure. The Chicago area weathered at least 25 tornados in the span of two days. Uprooted trees left more than 100,000 customers without power, many of whom had to wait for days in sweltering heat before electricity was restored. A woman in Lake County, Indiana, was killed when a tree fell on her house.
Nevada
Approximately 12,000 residents of Douglass County were told on July 16 to evacuate for one day due to risks posed by the Spring Valley Fire. So far, one house has been reported as sustaining significant damage, and nearly 600 customers have been cut off from power as a precaution by NV Energy. A glitch in the Douglass County digital emergency alert system during response efforts prompted investigation by county officials.
New Mexico
Recovery continues following the South Fork and Salt fires and subsequent flooding around Ruidoso. More than 1,588 structures were destroyed by the fires, in addition to at least 200 homes that were destroyed by resulting flooding. The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate whether arson was the cause of 16 fires in the area, including the Salt Fire.
Since President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for New Mexico, more than $6 million in federal assistance has been approved by FEMA and the Small Business Administration. Impacted people may apply to the SBA until August 19 at lending.sba.gov. Apply for FEMA assistance by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362, or downloading the FEMA app.
Oregon
Numerous fires have broken out across Oregon in the past few weeks, causing destruction across the state and leading state fire officials to issue a Red Flag Warning. The National Interagency Fire Center reported that Oregon is the “highest national priority.” The Durkee Fire, Lone Rock Fire, Cow Valley Fire, and Falls Fire have all been labeled “mega fires” and have burned more than 100,000 acres each. Near Ukiah, the Monkey Creek Fire, Snake Fire, and North Folk Owens Fires converged into the Battle Mountain Complex. Governor Tina Kotek requested additional aid for the Durkee and Battle Mountain Complex fires through the “Emergency Conflagration Act” on July 20.
As of July 20, the 80 active wildfires across Oregon had injured 25 people and destroyed approximately 40 homes and other structures. While some fires, such as those in the Battle Mountain Complex, were caused by lightning strikes, more than 100 of the fires that have developed in the Pacific Northwest region since June were started by humans. The extreme heat and dry conditions recorded this summer have only increased fire risk. Nearly 20,000 Oregonians are under various levels of evacuation orders, with more than 4,000 under a Level 3 “Go Now” order as of early July 25. Information about evacuation and shelter access can be found at wildfire.oregon.gov.
Texas
A number of heat-related deaths were reported across the Houston area due to widespread power failures due to Hurricane Beryl, bringing the storm’s death toll to 23 people. CenterPoint Energy’s grid failure left millions without electricity, air conditioning, or access to lifesaving medical devices. While power had been returned to most residents by July 18 – 10 days after Beryl first hit Texas – energy companies are under scrutiny for their lack of preparedness and slow response to the storm. Debris clearing and property recovery efforts also continue to face challenges across the area as residents deal with damages from both the May derecho and Beryl. Almost 50% of survey respondents in Harris County reported that they cannot afford to pay for another emergency.
On July 18, Airbnb announced a partnership with Houston nonprofits to provide free temporary housing for people impacted by Beryl. Governor Greg Abbott announced that FEMA had approved 17 counties for Transitional Sheltering Assistance and will waive assistance requirements for those who bought or rented generators between June 5 and 20. Apply for assistance at disasterassistance.gov, call 800-621-3362, or download the FEMA app.
Resilience and Mitigation Corner
FEMA Implements Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS)
FEMA published a final rule in the Federal Register on July 11 implementing the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). FEMA joins a long list of federal agencies – including the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, and General Services Administration – that also implemented the rule earlier in the year. The rule expands what the agency considers to be a floodplain by creating a new “FFRMS Floodplain” and increases mitigation standards for buildings constructed and repaired using agency funds. The new rule goes into effect on September 9.
Read the final rule here.
Read a summary of the rule here.
FEMA Publishes 2023 Resilience in Review
FEMA has published a summary of its resilience efforts in 2023. The report, 2023 FEMA Resilience in Review, finds that an emergency or disaster declaration occurred on average every three days in 2023, underscoring the importance of initiatives that promote equity, expand climate resilience programs, and improve community readiness. The report “emphasizes the critical importance of collaboration and continuous improvement as we face escalating climate challenges together.” The DHRC encourages FEMA to take increased and robust resilience efforts as we move into the 2024 disaster season.
Read the report here.