Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by Hurricane Ida, which slammed into the Southeast Louisiana coast as a major Category 4 hurricane on August 29, causing catastrophic damage sixteen years to the day after Hurricane Katrina brought devastation to the area. President Biden declared a major disaster covering the entire southeastern region of Louisiana, activating FEMA assistance for impacted households. Read NLIHC’s Memo 8/30 to learn more. The storm subsequently caused major damage in the Northeast. NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) – a group of over 850 local, state, and national organizations working to ensure that all disaster survivors receive the assistance they need to fully recover –continues to monitor and push for needed reforms to our disaster recovery system as the impacted regions recover.
To learn more about disaster recovery and housing, join the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition’s Tuesday Working Group Meetings: https://bit.ly/34Efwsa
Learn about the DHRC’s policy recommendations here.
NLIHC Updates
NLIHC and the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) are hosting a two-part webinar series on their recent report, Taking Stock: Natural Hazards and the Federally Assisted Housing Stock. The second and final webinar, “Disaster Planning and Mitigation for Affordable Housing Organizations,” will take place September 22 from 1-2:30 pm ET. Register for the series here and read the report here.
Take Action! Sign your organization on to a letter supporting the bipartisan “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act” and help ensure every disaster survivor receives the assistance they need to fully recover. If enacted, the legislation would permanently authorize the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which provides states, tribes, and communities with flexible, long-term recovery resources needed to rebuild affordable housing and infrastructure after a disaster. The bill also provides important safeguards and tools to ensure that federal disaster recovery efforts reach all impacted households, including the lowest income and most marginalized survivors who are often hardest hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover. Read NLIHC’s fact sheet on the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act and add your organization to a growing list of groups supporting this important bill!
Hurricane Ida
Federal Response
President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana in response to Hurricane Ida. Louisiana homeowners and renters affected by Hurricane Ida who live in the 25 parishes designated for Individual Assistance could be eligible for help from FEMA. Apply for assistance at: www.disasterassistance.gov
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on September 1 the implementation of federal disaster assistance for the 25 parishes in Louisiana included in the president’s major disaster declaration.
The Red Cross and local authorities have opened more than 20 shelters across the region impacted by Hurricane Ida. Residents have been asked by authorities not to return home for the foreseeable future. Neither FEMA nor the Red Cross are offering hotel vouchers currently.
President Biden on August 27 approved an emergency declaration for Mississippi to support response efforts to Hurricane Ida. FEMA added 58 Mississippi counties to the Hurricane Ida emergency declaration. FEMA received Governor Tate Reeves’ request for an amendment to the emergency declaration to include all 84 counties for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance. The request is under review.
Reporting
CNN examines how Louisiana is still reeling from five major storms – including the back-to-back hurricanes Laura and Delta – that have devastated the region. Many Lake Charles residents whose homes were flattened by recent disasters have spent months rebuilding and living in hotels or temporary shelters, and some are still waiting for federal disaster aid to arrive.
The Washington Post reports that despite a last-ditch effort by New Orleans officials and homeless service providers to provide shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness during Hurricane Ida, dozens were seen on the street during the worst of the storm. Only congregate sheltering was provided, and many that stayed on the street cited concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 infection in shelters.
The Associated Press reported that despite mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders that blanketed Southeast Louisiana in the leadup to Hurricane Ida, many were unable to pay for the transportation or hotel stays needed to do so. As a result, many households with low incomes were forced to ride out the storm in their homes.
Indian Country Today covered the impact of the Hurricane on the numerous tribal communities that reside in Southeast Louisiana. Many tribal governments asked citizens to fill out check-in forms ahead of landfall to assist in tracking their needs and evacuation status. Several tribal communities reported devastation in the aftermath of the storm.
The New York Times reports that Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has told Hurricane Ida evacuees not to return to their homes until infrastructure repairs are completed. Current projections for repairs to roads, power, water, and sewage systems could take weeks in some areas. New Orleans officials have not yet ruled out a post-storm evacuation of the city.
Hours after the federal eviction moratorium fell, dozens of families in 61 units at a Mississippi apartment complex were given 3-day eviction notices. They were told they must leave by August 31, just one day before Hurricane Ida was expected to hit the region.
Resources
- To apply for FEMA assistance, visit: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
- Individuals in Louisiana can text IDA to 67283 for storm updates from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
- For shelter, text LASHELTER to 898-211 or call 211 for statewide drive-up shelter locations.
- To receive New Orleans updates, text NOLAREADY to 77295, or visit: https://ready.nola.gov/home/
- Individuals in Alabama should follow the guidance of local officials or visit the Alabama Emergency Management Agency website.
- For storm updates in Mississippi, visit Hurricane Ida – Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
- A list of Tribal communities in Southeast Louisiana along with contact information is available from Bvlbancha Public Access.
Flooding
Tennessee residents in Dickson, Hickman, and Houston counties who were affected by the severe storms and flooding on August 21 may now apply for FEMA Individual Assistance (IA). Humphreys County was previously approved for disaster assistance.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper requested a federal major disaster declaration for counties in the western region of the state after catastrophic flooding from Tropical Storm Fred killed six and destroyed homes. Damage assessments to support the request are ongoing. The same region was targeted by flood waters from Hurricane Ida, which was downgraded to a tropical depression after making landfall.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer requested a federal disaster declaration as a result of flooding and severe weather that struck Macomb and Oakland counties in late June of this year. A disaster declaration is in effect for Wayne and Washtenaw counties due to the same event.
Severe Wind
A community meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa addressed the impact of equity on disaster recovery efforts stemming from the destructive derecho that struck the area last year. Households with lower incomes are being left behind as they struggle to access disaster assistance from FEMA.
Wildfires
The Caldor fire continues to rage along the California-Nevada border. While progress has been made over the past several days in containing the blaze, high winds are pushing the fire closer to densely populated areas around Lake Tahoe. Roughly 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe evacuated the area this week. The fire has destroyed 600 structures and threatens at least 33,000 others.
The largest wildfire in California history continues to see explosive growth despite successful efforts to contain it. As of August 31, the Dixie Fire is at a total of almost 850,000 acres and is just over 50% contained. The fire has destroyed 685 structures and is threatening 13,614 more.
Reporting
A story in Southerly reports that a year after Hurricane Laura, southwest Louisiana residents and officials are still awaiting significant federal aid. The multiple disasters southwest Louisiana experienced during the pandemic demonstrate how disaster aid systems are unequipped to respond to compounding events. NLIHC’s Noah Patton notes that legislation introduced in Congress, the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act (H.R.4707), could streamline the federal disaster recovery process by permanently authorizing the CDBR-DR program.
Oregon Humanities published a dispatch from the front lines of fire recovery in Oregon. The piece discusses mental health, urban development, and the need to manage forests as the threat of wildfire continues to rise.
Guidance
FEMA Fact Sheet: Public Assistance Funding for Disaster Operations in a Pandemic – August 28, 2021