Resources

Tips for Communicating with Homeowners

Distribute checklists outlining documentation and program requirements to homeowners. Encourage homeowners to photograph any and all damage before repairs begin, in addition to writing a description of damages. Make homeowners aware of all long-term funding opportunities as they are made available, especially HUD’s Community Disaster Block Grant Recovery Program.

Tips for Managing Documentation and Program Requirements

Grantees must ensure that they are following proper documentation and program requirements in order to ensure that they are compliant with the CDBG-DR program. Yet this can be easier said than done. Staff managing the recovery process can be overwhelmed with additional work. Follow these tips to make sure that your program is able to… Read more

Tips: Communicating with Applicants about FEMA Individual Assistance

  Following a disaster, public information officers, and local leaders, officials and staff will need to communicate with homeowners about FEMA Individual Assistance (IA).  Homeowners can apply for assistance in recovering from a disaster through the FEMA IA program. First, let homeowners know about the availability of FEMA Individual Assistance.  Following a disaster declaration, homeowners… Read more

FEMA Public Assistance Debris Management Guide

FEMA developed this guide to provide communities with a framework for structuring their own debris management plan or ensuring that their existing plan is consistent with FEMA’s eligibility criteria. This is part of FEMA’s efforts to encourage communities to take a proactive approach to creating and managing debris removal operations as part of their overall… Read more

Experiences Gained: Working with Housing Cooperatives in Post-Disaster Recovery

Housing cooperatives and other planned communities present their own challenges during the post-disaster recovery process. A single apartment block might yield more opinions and challenges than an entire small town. Add in the profusion of city, state and national ordinances and regulations that the process must meet, and the task can quickly become unmanageable. Yet… Read more

An Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and its offshoot discount incentive program, the Community Rating System (CRS), help communities get back on their feet in the wake of flooding incidents by providing affordable insurance to property owners and encouraging communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations. The program, managed by the Federal Emergency Management… Read more

Resilience

Resilience planning ensures that your community is better prepared for future disasters. For communities that have recovered from a disaster, it is critical to take the time to apply lessons learned from the experience. Click on the topics below to learn more for your community. Lessons Learned Disaster Planning Revisions Codes, Ordinance Review & Revisions… Read more