The Super Circular or Omni Circular, officially called the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 C.F.R. Part 200) went into effect on December 26, 2014, to increase the accessibility and impact of federal program funds by decreasing time spent complying with burdensome administrative requirements and better protect against waste,… Read more
The following summarizes the history of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The early post-Great Depression legislative measures from 1932 – 1938 stimulated housing construction in the U.S. Emergency Relief and Reconstruction Act of 1932 P.L. 75 – 432 First major U.S. relief legislation. Passed by Congress… Read more
The purpose of a plan is to provide the framework for an organization to restore essential functions in the event of an emergency that affects essential operations. Download this customizable template for local government departments and follow the provided instructions on how to fill in the correct information to meet the needs of your jurisdiction and… Read more
This article highlights discussions at the New York State Association for Affordable Housing’s (NYSAFAH) 14th Annual New York State Affordable Housing Conference. They found that post Sandy, developers should be looking at current buildings, even those unaffected by the storm, and retrofit them to include new weather precautions as well as preparing community staffs for… Read more
The Hurricane Sandy Task Force lays out suggestions such as building a more resilient and modern electric grid, new flood-protection and more stringent building standards in affected areas. The Task Force voiced strong opposition to simply rebuilding to match the pre-Sandy landscape, and encourages the private sector to investigate less vulnerable fuel distributions routes and… Read more
New flood models predict repeat, and possibly more significant, flooding in areas hard hit by Sandy. Five key lessons are offered to guide rebuilding: Protect existing natural borders such as beaches and dunes. Build the natural barriers higher. Rezone flood areas to prevent new home building. Build parks in their place. Be mindful about building… Read more
This report highlights the efforts of two communities to strengthen regulations after catastrophic flood events: Cedar Falls, Iowa and Waveland, Mississippi. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are created to guide insurance premiums based on historical floods occurring within either 100 or 500 years, and these case studies are designed to help communities consider how they… Read more
Six-hundred million dollars of federal Sandy recovery funds have been dedicated to 750 buyouts of homes on flood-prone, low lying coastal areas of Staten Island and Long Island. Rising insurance costs and future threats are driving homeowners to accept the buyout offers. Environmentalists hope that the demolitions will allow the nature to act as a… Read more
This details specific actions taken by the city of New Haven, Conn., before, during and after Tropical Storm Irene. Overall, the city concluded that it had an excellent response to the storm, with over 200 personnel engaged in mitigation efforts. The city does not explicitly list weaknesses identified, but notes that information learned through identification… Read more
This report explores the challenges to retrofitting multifamily housing in New York City after Hurricane Sandy and reports the results of a workshop in which designers, engineers and other experts identified cost-effective retrofit strategies for NYC’s multifamily units in the floodplain. Urban areas with similar challenges can use this as an example of how to… Read more
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