After Devastating Hurricane Season, Warren, Colleagues Renew Push to Support Survivors of Natural Disasters

November 22, 2024

After Devastating Hurricane Season, Warren, Colleagues Renew Push to Support Survivors of Natural Disasters

Disaster survivors can be prevented from accessing aid if they are unable to show proof of property ownership

Bill Text | Section by Section

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, along with Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Co.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), George Helmy (D-N.J.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), reintroduced the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act. This bill would streamline the process for people in communities affected by natural disasters seeking housing assistance.

After devastating natural disasters, like Hurricanes Helene and Milton in late September, survivors can be left with limited options for recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can deny requests for aid if the borrower is unable to provide property titles, written leases, and other similar documents to show residency and occupancy of disaster-damaged property. This provision disproportionately impacts those that do not own the property on which they reside, including renters and those living in mobile homes.

After Hurricane Maria struck in 2017, 77,000 households in Puerto Rico were wrongfully denied assistance by FEMA due to title-documentation issues. While FEMA ultimately made accommodations for those in informal housing and for those who had lost documents in the hurricane, those accommodations were implemented unevenly, and FEMA did not reconsider prior denials of assistance.

The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act would protect and expand upon acceptable forms of documentation that can be accepted as proof of residence for establishing disaster assistance eligibility-including a pay stub from an employer, a driver's license or state-issued identification card, or school registration-making it easier for survivors to access aid.

"The federal government should be a partner in helping families rebuild their lives, not a roadblock," said Senator Warren. "As hurricanes and other natural disasters continue to ravage communities, leaving many without housing or support, this bill will help expedite the process for families to receive aid in their time of need."

The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act would:

• Allow for disaster relief funds to be used for the acquisition of a property title in regions where a natural disaster is declared by the President.

• Require FEMA to consider additional forms of evidence when determining assistance eligibility, including a utility bill, merchant statement, pay stub, current driver's license or state-issued ID, property title or mobile home certificate of title, property tax receipt, school registration, a will and testament, a death certificate that established automatic transfer of ownership, medical records, a charitable donation receipt, or any other documentation, certification, identification, or proof of occupancy or ownership not included on this list that can reasonably link the individual requesting assistance to the applicable property.

• Require FEMA to create a declarative statement form, which would allow a disaster relief applicant to self-certify eligibility for assistance.

• Allow individuals who have previously been denied assistance due to restrictive proof-of-ownership requirements to reopen cases and use new, expanded documentation to become eligible for assistance.

• Allow disaster relief funds to be used for repairs, not just rebuilding homes that have been rendered completely uninhabitable.

• Require FEMA and HUD to engage in consultations regarding the implementation of a DHAP, or a similar joint program, within 60 days of a disaster declaration.

"The climate crisis isn't a future problem; it is here and wreaking havoc on our communities. We need the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act to get people immediate housing and support resources following a natural disaster," said Senator Edward J. Markey.

"Today, communities across the country struggle to rebuild after increasingly severe natural disasters - from wildfires to flooding to hurricanes. This bill will remove barriers to allow survivors of natural disasters to more easily access the housing aid they need to rebuild their lives," said Senator Michael Bennet.

"Our measure helps families recover from natural disasters by improving access to necessary housing aid and assistance," said Senator Richard Blumenthal. "Wrongful federal assistance denials and burdensome administrative requirements have previously prevented disaster survivors from accessing the help they need after a natural disaster tragically upends their lives. The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act will help streamline these requirements and get faster relief to those who need it."

"Natural disasters are an inevitability that must be addressed, especially as climate change results in more frequent severe weather. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters force Americans to grapple with unexpected difficulties like displacement and property damage," said Senator Dick Durbin. "The Housing Survivors of Major Natural Disasters Act would help families access necessary housing aid so they can rebuild their lives and their homes after a natural disaster."

"Losing your home during a natural disaster causes unimaginable grief for those affected," said Senator Helmy. "The federal government has a duty to provide for those who need assistance in these times of need and stress. Sadly, the people of New Jersey know this feeling all too well, dealing with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, and catastrophic flooding and landslides from the remnants of multiple hurricanes. I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate and the House for reintroducing this important bill as we near the end of another devastating hurricane season."

"I've seen firsthand the devastation that natural disasters like Hurricane Helene have caused in Virginia and heard from Virginians about how the impacts uprooted their lives," said Senator Tim Kaine. "We need to make it easier for individuals who have lost their homes to access financial assistance, and this bill would do just that. I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort to help Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene and other natural disasters get back on their feet."

"Fires, floods, and other disasters have devastated California communities and worsened our affordable housing crisis," said Senator Padilla. "Disaster victims should have access to critical recovery assistance without the burden of strict and complicated requirements that disproportionately hurt renters, mobile home residents, and alternative property owners."

"When disaster strikes, help can't come soon enough to communities in need. In these emergency situations, no one should have to worry about digging through red tape to keep a roof over their head. Housing assistance should be ready and available for survivors of natural disasters as quickly as possible - this legislation will help ensure just that," said Senator Chris Van Hollen.

"Millions of people in our country were left without power, saw their homes and hometowns destroyed, or lost loved ones to Hurricanes Helene and Milton," said Senator Booker. "Congress must act now to pass this critical legislation so we can ensure victims of natural disasters in our country are able to access safe, affordable housing when catastrophe hits."

"Despite recent changes to FEMA policy to address decades-long title documentation barriers that wrongfully prevented many of the lowest-income and most marginalized disaster survivors from accessing FEMA assistance, persistent challenges remain," said Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act from Senator Warren and Representative Espaillat addresses these issues, providing greater flexibility to ensure disaster survivors receive the assistance for which they are eligible. NLIHC and our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition of more than 900 organizations urge Congress to quickly advance this bill."

"As more families are affected by the increasing number of severe storms and natural disasters, the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act will accelerate the process of accessing disaster relief and recovery assistance," said Vanessa Calderón. Chief Executive Officer, IBA-Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción. "This bill will make it easier on those affected families to show proof of ownership, which will ease the already traumatic experience of facing major property losses."

Senator Warren and Representative Espaillat have introduced this bill in every Congress since 2019, with Rep. Espaillat leading the House version.

The legislation is supported by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), UnidosUS, Hispanic Federation, Americans for Financial Reform, United Way of Central Massachusetts, Seven Hills Foundation, and Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción.

Senator Warren has long led fights to ensure FEMA funding and support is equitably distributed and to ensure emergency relief programs meet the needs of Massachusetts communities:

• In September 2024, Senators Warren and Ted Cruz, alongside Representatives Brian Babin and John Garamendi, introduced the Regional Impact of Disasters and Emergencies Relief (RIDER) Act to improve the delivery of federal relief to disaster-struck communities.

• In July 2024, Senators Warren and Markey, Representative Jim McGovern, and state and local officials announced $6 million for a flooding mitigation project in Leominster following damaging floods in September 2023.

• In March 2024, Senator Warren and other Massachusetts lawmakers urged President Biden and FEMA to issue a major disaster declaration after catastrophic flooding impacted Bristol, Hampden, and Worcester counties.

• In January 2024, at a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Warren called for the Biden administration to swiftly finalize its data call about the effects of climate change on the insurance market-and to collect all the data necessary to understand our gaps in insurance coverage and the right regulatory response.

• In October 2023, Senator Warren and Representatives Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Federal Emergency Management Advancement of Equity Act to address systemic inequities in the federal government's response to disasters and how it distributes assistance. The legislation follows a growing body of evidence and reporting that low-income disaster survivors and communities of color are less likely to receive crucial federal emergency assistance compared to higher-income counterparts.

• In August 2023, following flooding in New England in July 2023, Senators Warren, Markey, Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) sent a letter to President Joe Biden, thanking his administration for its support for New England communities that suffered catastrophic flooding and requesting that President Biden continue to address the ongoing needs of these communities in any upcoming disaster supplemental appropriations request to Congress.

• In May 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Warren highlighted the need for FEMA to fix inequities and injustices in disaster management programs.

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