In 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, causing an estimated $53 billion in damages. The storm led to 1,400 landslides, damaged over 160 water and sewer systems, and disrupted transportation across 6,000 miles of roads and more than 1,000 bridges. Tragically, 96 lives were lost.
In response, North Carolina was awarded approximately $1.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to address the Hurricane’s impacts. This funding will directly support the reconstruction of homes, repair of critical infrastructure, and revitalization of small businesses in the most impacted areas of western North Carolina, with a focus on assisting low- and moderate-income residents.
As natural disasters grow more frequent and destructive, long-term recovery programs like CDBG-DR are more essential than ever. When disaster strikes, communities across the country face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. While FEMA plays a crucial role in providing immediate disaster relief, HUD’s CDBG-DR program is vital for the long-term recovery and rebuilding of homes, infrastructure, and local economies.
In 2024, the United States experienced 27 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, collectively causing over $182 billion in damages. The hardest-hit states included Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, which were impacted by major hurricanes, severe storms, and flooding.
In January, HUD announced $12 billion in CDBG-DR funding for communities recovering from 2023 and 2024 disasters. This funding will assist a wide range of states and territories, including some of the most disaster-impacted regions.
Since its inception in 1993, more than $100 billion in CDBG-DR funds have been allocated to assist communities devastated by natural disasters. However, despite its strong track record, the program’s effectiveness would be greatly strengthened by permanent authorization, which would ensure it can deliver consistent and sustained support to communities in need.
As it stands, HUD must issue Federal Register notices with additional disaster-specific program requirements and waivers each time Congress makes a supplemental appropriation. Grantees then need to understand these updated rules and submit action plans. Because these rules can change with each appropriation, the process can be unpredictable. Permanently authorizing the program would allow HUD to use a standard set of rules instead of creating new ones after each disaster. This would speed up recovery by reducing delays, help communities by making the process more predictable, and improve oversight by setting clear, consistent expectations in law.
The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act, which is expected to be reintroduced in the 119th Congress, would establish this program in statute, making it a reliable and predictable resource for communities in need.
CDBG-DR is distinct from FEMA’s role in emergency response
While FEMA is crucial for providing immediate assistance after a disaster, CDBG-DR provides the long-term recovery support that is necessary once the immediate response has passed. This includes rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure, supporting economic recovery, and addressing the long-lasting impacts of disaster damage. FEMA’s grants are short-term and not designed to support the long-term recovery needs that CDBG-DR addresses. Because of these distinct but complementary roles, communities need both FEMA’s rapid emergency relief and CDBG-DR’s extended recovery resources to fully recover and rebuild stronger than before.
Why is permanent authorization so important?
In the wake of a disaster, families and communities are overwhelmed, facing major expenses, life disruptions, and tough decisions. It’s important that recovery resources like CDBG-DR are available quickly, so people can understand their options and plan their next steps with confidence. Without permanent authorization, delays in funding and guidance can leave communities waiting, making it harder to coordinate a full and effective recovery.
Permanent authorization of CDBG-DR would help address these challenges by establishing a simpler and more standardized framework for the CDBG-DR program, allowing communities and the people who live there to better plan and manage recovery efforts. It will provide the necessary tools for communities to rebuild, strengthen resilience, and recover from disasters in a way that ensures their future stability. It’s time for Congress to act and make CDBG-DR a permanent part of the federal recovery landscape — one that supports every community in the aftermath of disaster.
