Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) sent a letter on May 22 to Acting FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor urging his agency to take further action to address the housing needs of Camp Fire survivors. Although the wildfire occurred in November 2018, many survivors are still living in tents or cars, doubling- or tripling-up with other low-income households, or paying more than half of their incomes on rent while waiting for FEMA temporary housing assistance.
Senator Harris notes that FEMA has only approved a small percentage of aid applications and has been slow to provide temporary manufactured homes. Despite the massive displacement and difficulties placing trailers, the agency has not utilized the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), a proven housing solution used after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. The letter includes several questions for FEMA regarding the slow housing response, requesting answers by the end of May.
Read the full letter at: https://bit.ly/2K0jlzI