President Trump in June signed the long-delayed $19 billion disaster relief package, which had been held up by wrangling in Congress. “The bill is among the broadest pieces of disaster legislation to have been considered by Congress, in the scope of aid and the multitude of disasters addressed,” reported the Washington Post (see: “Trump signs disaster relief bill delayed for months by his opposition to Puerto Rico aid,” by Colby Itkowitz). These included Hurricanes Maria, Florence and Michael; Typhoon Mangkhut, Super Typhoon Yutu and Tropical Storm Gita; plus wildfires in California, volcanic eruptions in Hawaii and an earthquake in Alaska.”
Relief money is sorely needed in the Florida Panhandle, reports NPR (see: “Nearly 8 Months After Hurricane Michael, Florida Panhandle Feels Left Behind,” by Becky Sullivan, Noah Caldwell, and Ari Shapiro). “Small cities along the Panhandle — a mostly rural region of coast, farmland and timber — are struggling to see a way forward between shrinking revenue and the burden of fronting relief costs,” the network reported. “The area’s largest employer, Tyndall Air Force Base, is years away from returning to full capacity.”
Housing stocks were decimated in the storm, and rents have spiked, reported NPR. Millions of trees were uprooted and killed throughout the area’s timberland, and most of that down timber is still lying on the ground, where it poses a major wildfire risk. The timber damage also boosts the risk of flooding throughout the region.
Uncounted residents are still living in tents or makeshift tarp shelters. FEMA rental assistance dried up in April. Community block grant money is coming, but that can take years to make a difference. And the rebuilding effort faces a “chicken and egg” problem: There’s no housing available for the construction workers needed to rebuild.
“The long-running federal drama over disaster funds has also pinched off money for local governments, many already fiscally constrained, to address what many called a once-in-a-lifetime storm,” reports the Tampa Bay Times (see: “Hurricane Michael debris hasn’t been cleared. Why that really matters now,” by Elizabeth Koh). “It can take years for some local governments to be fully reimbursed for storm recovery costs — on Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced another $78 million in reimbursement funding from FEMA and the state to Miami-Dade County to cover Irma-related debris expenses from 2017.”
