Disaster Recovery

Immediately following the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes and the displacement of millions of people due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, NLIHC began work to improve federal disaster housing programs and systems. The failings of assistance programs in the wake of those disasters, amplified by the 2008 hurricanes, resulted in a heightened need to both ensure full housing recovery along the Gulf Coast and strengthen the response after future events.

Since 2005, NLIHC has led the Katrina Housing Group, which includes representatives from more than 100 national and local organizations on its distribution list and meets each week to share information and strategize coordinated advocacy. NLIHC sends regular updates to this group on all activity related to the federal response to the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes and long-term disaster planning, as well as working directly on federal recovery legislation and regulations. Whether by testimony before Congress on Stafford Act reform or calling for the extension of the Disaster Housing Assistance Program or commenting on proper case management processes, NLIHC continues to lead on the full range of current and future disaster housing issues affecting people with low incomes.

Below are all materials related to NLIHC’s disaster recovery work.  The section titled NLIHC/KHG Materials and Resources contains testimony, letters, comments, and other materials produced by NLIHC or the KHG.  Following sections contain news of importance to advocates, organized by topic area, and primarily in the form of articles from NLIHC’s weekly newsletter, Memo to Members. For ease of access, news articles may be archived in more than one section. .

For more information about NLIHC’s disaster housing work or the Katrina Housing Group, please contact NLIHC’s Katrina Housing Fellow Rebekah Mason at rebekah@nlihc.org or 202-662-1530 x 233