Disaster Housing Recovery Update – November 11, 2022
Hurricane Nicole made landfall along the coast of eastern Florida on November 10, impacting coastal areas with significant storm surge and coastal erosion. As of the time of writing, Nicole has weakened into a tropical storm and is making its way across inland Florida, creating significant risk of flooding in areas already impacted by Hurricane Ian, which struck just last month. After passing through Florida, the storm is expected to travel up the eastern seaboard, impacting Georgia, the Carolinas, and the mid-Atlantic region. Multiple counties in Florida have instituted evacuation orders for coastal areas, and the state government has warned of significant power disruptions. Scores of emergency shelters have opened along the path of the storm in order to accommodate evacuees without temporary housing prospects.
The development of a hurricane so late in the Atlantic hurricane season, which typically ends November 30, is exceedingly rare (Nicole is the first such late-season storm in 37 years). Meanwhile, the timing of the storm could not be worse: while Nicole’s impacts are expected to be relatively light compared to last month’s storm, areas along Nicole’s forecasted track were decimated by Hurricane Ian, and many are still in direct response mode, with residents and local governments continuing to clear debris deposited by record storm surge and having only just restored power in many of the hardest-hit areas.
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) will continue to track the impact of the storm and support members and partners working in impacted areas.
Hurricane Ian Updates
Families in areas of southwest Florida impacted by Hurricane Ian are anxiously awaiting decisions about FEMA housing assistance.
In a statement, FEMA announced that various federal programs had provided roughly $2 billion in disaster assistance to southwest Florida.
Conservators from the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative are assisting Hurricane Ian survivors in preserving family heirlooms and historic artifacts in Disaster Recovery Centers.
Black communities impacted by Hurricane Ian are organizing in the wake of the storm. Organizations in neighborhoods like Dunbar and Harlem Heights have joined Florida Rising, a coalition with more than 50 members that recently released a letter demanding a “just recovery” following Hurricane Ian.
Local frog populations are exploding in some areas of Florida following torrential rains brought by Hurricane Ian.
High winds and storm surges decimated older homes in southwest Florida, but recently constructed manufactured housing fared much better.
The State of Florida, the federal government, and non-profit partners are offering a variety of services in the most heavily impacted areas of southwest Florida. These services include WiFi hotspot vans, food, and transportation.
Hurricane Ian ripped away seawalls in southwest Florida, leaving some areas of the coast unprotected from future storms.
Hurricane Fiona Updates
Following Hurricane Fiona, some architects in Puerto Rico are pushing for innovations as the island seeks to rebuild critical infrastructure.
There is widespread worry that recovery efforts following Hurricane Fiona are repeating mistakes made after Hurricane Maria that left the island more impoverished and vulnerable to disaster.
For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has targeted investments to Puerto Rico – and impoverished Puerto Rican communities, specifically – in an effort to address the environmental problems that plague communities disproportionately affected by pollution and two major hurricanes.
After years of destructive weather, new visions of local agriculture are taking root in Puerto Rico.
FEMA released a rumor control document to provide additional information to Puerto Rico residents applying for assistance.
Congressional and National Updates
USA Today published a piece on climate-driven displacement that includes interviews with experts on the subject.
The Just Solutions Collective and Harvard’s Environmental and Energy Law Program will be holding a webinar discussing FEMA’s recently published Equity Action Plan on November 17 at 2:00 pm ET.
Organizing Resilience released a new report, “But Next Time: Storm Survivors Demand Overhaul of Disaster Recovery System.”
State and Local Updates
Kentucky
HUD will provide Kentucky with $48.9 million through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program to help the state recover from disasters that occurred last year.
FEMA disaster recovery centers and multi-agency resource centers are still open for those affected by recent flooding, though the deadline to apply for FEMA aid passed on October 28.
Louisiana
Louisiana will receive $831 million from HUD for Hurricane Ida disaster relief.
Montana
The Montana Department of Commerce has issued a request for temporary housing in flood-impacted counties for families whose homes still need habitability repairs. As of October 19, more than 300 families had self-reported that their homes still needed repairs to make them fit to live in following flooding in south and central Montana in June.
New Mexico
New Mexicans impacted by wildfires and subsequent flooding had until November 7 to apply for FEMA assistance, which will be used to help residents find temporary housing, rebuild their homes, and replace destroyed property.
North Carolina
HUD’s Office of the Inspector General issued an audit report in October claiming that North Carolina’s disaster recovery program was not able to provide a “reasonable assurance” that it had properly spent $2.5 million in Hurricane Matthew federal disaster relief funds.