Hawaii Wildfires
The Hawaiian island of Maui is still reeling from the impact of catastrophic wildfires – the deadliest in modern U.S. history. Although the fires have now been contained, more than 5,000 people remain displaced in hotel rooms across Maui and throughout Hawaii. The fire destroyed over 2,000 structures, more than 80% of which were homes.
As the initial disaster response begins to transition into the short-term recovery stage, Maui residents are pushing to ensure that the recovery is shaped by their community’s values. Given that the disaster recovery system regularly devalues or ignores community input, achieving this aim will require significant effort. Advocates across the continental U.S. have been assisting advocates and community members on the ground in Hawaii to help them navigate the system and ensure that residents are able to advocate effectively on behalf of their community.
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) is a group of over 900 local, state, and national organizations that works to ensure that all disaster survivors receive the assistance they need to fully recover. After holding conversations with impacted people in Hawaii and advocates providing technical assistance to members of the Maui community, the DHRC and the National Housing Law Project will begin hosting a dedicated working group on wildfire recovery in Maui. This working group, which will mirror the DHRC’s long-running Puerto Rico working group (created after Hurricane Maria impacted that island in 2017), will establish clear channels of communication with community advocates in Maui, magnify federal advocacy efforts, provide best practices and technical assistance from across the DHRC’s nationwide network, and provide support and solidarity for those conducting disaster recovery efforts in the aftermath of the catastrophic fires.
The working group is expected to run for as long as the community deems it beneficial. Members will include impacted residents from Maui and their partners across Hawaii, as well as DHRC members experienced in disaster recovery who are able to provide technical and advocacy assistance. Like the DHRC, the working group will require consensus from impacted community members before adopting advocacy positions or actions. Membership in the group will also be open to all advocates residing in Hawaii and by invitation only for advocates in the continental U.S. To learn more about the working group, please contact NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst for Disaster Recovery Noah Patton at [email protected]
Congressional and National Updates
September marks National Preparedness Month, an annual opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies.
President Biden issued a National Preparedness Month proclamation on August 31.
The Ready Campaign’s 2023 National Preparedness Month theme is “Take Control in 1, 2, 3.” The campaign will focus on preparing older adults for disasters, specifically older adults from communities that are disproportionately impacted by all-hazard events. In support of that aim, FEMA announced an agreement formalizing a partnership with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers.
Disaster recovery funding has been significantly threatened by the House Freedom Caucus’s recent demands, which make the prospect of a government shutdown even more real.
The White House increased its request for FEMA disaster relief fund replenishment from $12 billion to $16 billion on September 1, citing recent disasters in Maui, Louisiana, Vermont, and Florida that will bring the projected funding shortfall to $4.8 billion by the end of the month. USB Bank estimated that insured losses in Florida reach approximately $9.3 billion, and private market insured losses will likely be in the $3 to $5 billion range, according to Moody’s RMS.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation on September 5 that would separate emergency relief funding for natural disasters, including those caused by Hurricane Idalia in Florida and the Hawaii wildfires, from aid for Ukraine. The “Federal Disaster Responsibility Act” would replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund with an additional $16.5 billion. The bill would also ensure final passage of the “Block Grant Assistance Act,” which authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue grants to all U.S. agriculture producers affected by natural disasters in 2022. Likewise, the bill would ensure passage of the “Hurricane Tax Relief Act,” which would provide disaster-related tax relief to families affected by hurricanes.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced a nearly $460,000 investment in three projects in Georgia, Missouri, and Ohio that address disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in food and agricultural systems.
State and Local Updates
The Carolinas
South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor saw the water level spike more than nine feet as a result of Hurricane Idalia – the fifth highest water level ever recorded in the area, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, between two and five inches of rain fell across portions of southeastern North Carolina, including the Wilmington area.
Florida
HUD announced that it would implement federal disaster relief for the State of Florida to assist tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Idalia. Effective immediately is a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), as well as mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. Under HUD’s Section 203(h), FHA insurance is available to disaster victims with homes that were destroyed or damaged to an extent that required reconstruction or complete replacement. Administrative flexibility is available to Community Planning and Development grantees, public housing agencies, and Tribes.
The Biden administration has approved disaster declarations for 14 counties impacted by Hurricane Idalia. At one point, nearly 4,500 people were staying in shelters in Hurricane Idalia’s impact area, according to the Red Cross, with one shelter in Largo, Florida, housing as many as 442 people. Damage was concentrated in the Nature Coast region (Big Bend, Cedar Key and Pasco counties). In Pasco County alone, between 4,000 and 6,000 homes were inundated.
HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge met with local leaders in Santa Barbara County on September 1 to discuss housing issues and tour supportive housing sites.
President Biden arrived in Florida on September 2 to tour damage caused by the hurricane.
One mandatory evacuation order remains in effect in Suwannee County. A voluntary evacuation order remains in effect in Hamilton County. County governments have largely taken over operational control of recovery, and four shelters are currently open.
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced two additional “flexibilities” to assist storm-impacted SNAP recipients, including a “hot food waiver” that allows SNAP recipients to use EBT benefits to purchase hot foods in 23 counties until the end of September. There will also be an automatic, mass replacement of benefits for individuals in 14 counties who normally receive monthly benefits to eliminate the need for recipients to submit requests individually in severely impacted areas.
Georgia
Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) surveyed damage from Hurricane Idalia on September 3 while pushing for a federal disaster declaration. One storm-related fatality has been confirmed in Georgia after a tree fell on a vehicle in Lowndes County during the hurricane.
Hawaii
More than 5,800 people were housed overnight at 24 hotel shelter locations around Maui on August 4 in coordination with the American Red Cross, according to recent reports.
Residents who have lost homes are among those plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits against Maui County, the State of Hawaii, and Hawaii Electric Company, a for-profit, investor-owned utility that serves 95% of the state’s electric customers. Lawyers representing residents and business owners in the devastated town of Lahaina claim that cable TV and phone companies overloaded and destabilized some utility poles, which snapped in high winds and contributed to the fire.
Mississippi
Residents of Rolling Fork are still waiting on temporary housing five months after a March tornado displaced 300 people (approximately 16% of the city). As of August 16, 233 people were still displaced, according to emergency management officials. Renters make up 68% of the area’s residents and face an especially long wait for temporary housing. FEMA is in the process of bringing online 97 fully furnished, temporary mobile homes and campers for renters and homeowners to live in for 18 months. Nearly 100 households had requested a trailer as of August 16, by which point FEMA had delivered 36 units to private landowners and people in commercial trailer parks.
Vermont
Many Vermonters affected by the July flooding are still in the throes of flood recovery, with some continuing to seek shelter. So far, FEMA has determined more than 2,900 homes in the state had some type of damage, based on applications and housing inspections, including 530 that have been designated as having major damage and 14 that were destroyed. Approximately 1,280 households have received rental assistance from FEMA, indicating just how many people cannot currently live in their homes, according to the governor’s press secretary. FEMA is bringing in manufactured homes and searching for apartment buildings that can be leased and renovated to accommodate flood victims. The agency says around 225 people are eligible for temporary housing, but half of these have found other housing solutions.
Residents of nine counties included in a federal disaster declaration have until October 12 to apply for individual assistance, FEMA announced Friday after state officials requested an extension. FEMA Individual Assistance is available to homeowners and renters in the nine counties included in the federal government’s major disaster declaration: Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties. Residents of other counties affected by summer flooding, such as Addison County, have so far been excluded.