WASHINGTON, DC – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), Chair of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee, led a roundtable with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives and emergency management stakeholders to discuss barriers to post-disaster housing and identify cost-effective solutions.

“Since the start of this Congress, I have presided over multiple emergency management hearings on my subcommittee, and I hear the same thing over and over. Climate change and the related severe weather events are changing the emergency management landscape because today’s disasters last longer and hit harder. They cause more damage, have greater impacts on communities, and require more time from which to recover,” said Rep. Titus. “These new challenges make it imperative that FEMA cut the red tape within its assistance programs, especially with post-disaster housing, and deliver resources to individuals and communities in need in a timely fashion.”

Background

Climate change and development in high-risk zones, such as Special Flood Hazard Areas and the Wildland Urban Interface, have caused natural disasters to have a greater impact on communities across the country. This has created new challenges to providing federal assistance for post-disaster housing. Evidence has demonstrated that current authorities and policies governing federal post-disaster housing assistance are not adequately addressing the needs of all disaster survivors. Failure to close assistance gaps may cause more disaster survivors to face financial hardship, be displaced from their communities, or experience homelessness. This forum was an opportunity for members to discuss post-disaster housing solutions that can meet the present challenges with emergency management and housing experts.