HOW HUD SUPPORTS DISASTER RECOVERY

In the immediate aftermath of
large-scale disasters, FEMA, the
Small Business Administration,
the Army Corp of Engineers and
other agencies launch the Federal
government’s response. During
this early phase, HUD largely
plays a support role while our
‘first responder’ agencies work to
rescue our citizens and to provide
for their immediate needs. Here’s
what we do right away. Once the
President issues a major disaster
declaration, HUD offers a 90-day
foreclosure moratorium for struggling
homeowners living in hardhit
counties who have mortgages
insured by the Federal Housing
Administration (FHA). Through
several financing options, FHA
can also help disaster victims who
have lost their homes and are facing
the daunting task of rebuilding
or buying another home.
Facilitating Long-term disaster
recovery HUD plays a larger,
more direct role in the longer term
recovery phase. In past disasters,
Congress has approved emergency
funding to support longterm
disaster recovery through
the Community Development
Block Grant-Disaster Recovery
Program. With this funding, HUD
helps impacted States and local
governments get back on their
feet, assisting homeowners, renters
and businesses that might
not fully recover without additional
assistance. Historically, these
grants support:
Housing Recovery (both homeowner
and rental properties);
Business Recovery (to help get
folks back to work); and
Critical Infrastructure and public
facilities. Following Hurricane
Katrina, FEMA and HUD worked
on a joint Disaster Housing
Assistance Program to provide
temporary housing assistance to
thousands of households forced
from their own homes and, in
many circumstances, forced from
their own communities.
HUD’s working relationships with
hundreds of public housing authorities
across the country can be
critical in the process of re-housing
families whose own homes
were damaged or destroyed.
Housing Counseling HUD’s Office
of Housing Counseling works
directly with hundreds of approved
counseling agencies across the
country to help connect people
with housing, especially households
forced from their homes
and seeking temporary housing
as they work to rebuild. Housing
counselors play a critical role in
helping communities impacted by
disaster connect families to key
housing resources.
Cutting Red Tape To accelerate
the pace of recovery, HUD
provides regulatory relief through
suspensions or waivers of the
Department’s normal requirements.
For example, HUD can
expedite the existing environmental
review process following disasters
to speed progress for HUDfunded
projects that do not alter
environmental conditions. Cities,
urban counties, and states may
also request to ‘re-program’ their
annual block grant assistance
from HUD to meet their urgent
needs after disaster. HUD works
with our state and local partners
to make certain that within the
boundaries of the law, our regulations
should not delay recovery.
In short, if we can relax red
tape to help hard-hit communities
as execute their recovery programs,
we do. Other ways HUD
supports Recovery HUD works
with public housing authorities and
private landlords across the country
to provide affordable housing
to approximately 5 million households.
When disaster strikes, HUD
works with these local partners to
rehouse displaced HUD-assisted
households. HUD’s Office of Lead
Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
provides technical guidance to our
local stakeholders to confront hazards
associated with rehabilitating
damaged homes such as mold,
lead-based paint and asbestos.
And our Office of Fair Housing
and Equal Opportunity works with
its partners to make certain that
people are treated fairly during the
long-term recovery process.