The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded nearly $1.5 billion to support seven states in their recovery from major disasters that occurred last year, including Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Florence and wildfires in California.
These funds are provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program and will address seriously damaged housing, businesses and infrastructure in hard-hit areas of these states. The CDBG-DR Program requires grantees to develop thoughtful recovery plans informed by local residents.
“Last year’s disasters left damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure in their wake,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a news release. “These recovery dollars will help the hardest-hit communities in these states and allow for residents to put their lives back together again.”
California will be allocated $491,816,000 for wildfires and high winds. Recovery efforts from Hurricane Michael in Florida and Georgia will receive $482,907,000, while Hurricane Florence efforts in North and South Carolina were allocated $384,296,000.
The rest of the grant will go toward severe storms, flooding, landslides, mudslide, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in Hawaii, and severe storms in Texas, according to HUD.
On Oct. 5, President Donald Trump signed a law providing $1.68 billion in CDBG-DR funding for “disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing, and economic revitalization in the most impacted and distressed areas resulting from a major disaster declared in 2018.”
HUD also will allocate an additional $205 million later in the year following a comprehensive analysis of the recovery needs in American Samoa and the Northern Marianas, the release stated.