{ "id": "IN11084", "type": "CRS Insight", "typeId": "INSIGHTS", "number": "IN11084", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 594799, "date": "2019-03-26", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T16:03:26.639365", "title": "2019 Midwest Flooding: FEMA and Other Federal Programs and Resources", "summary": "Introduction\nThis Insight provides a brief overview of the major disaster declaration process and federal assistance programs potentially available to those affected by the current flooding in the Midwest.\nAs authorized under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288, as amended; 42 U.S.C. \u00a7\u00a75121 et seq.), the President may issue a major disaster declaration due to catastrophic flooding. This allows for a broad range of federal assistance programs to be made available to state and local governments, private nonprofit organizations, and individuals through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies.\nAccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the record flooding in Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota is the result of \u201crapid snow melt combined with heavy spring rain and late season snowfall in areas where soil moisture is high.\u201d\nOn March 21, 2019, President Donald J. Trump issued a major disaster declaration for the State of Nebraska for the severe winter storm, straight-line winds, and flooding that began on March 9, 2019. On March 23, 2019, President Trump issued a major disaster declaration for the State of Iowa for the severe storms and flooding that began on March 12, 2019.\nOther states affected by flooding have declared states of emergency, including Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, and South Dakota as well as tribal nations in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Additionally, February rainfall and severe storms that resulted in flooding in Mississippi and Tennessee resulted in their governors\u2019 submission of requests for major disaster declarations on March 21 and March 22, 2019, respectively.\nNOAA\u2019s spring outlook states that additional rain and melting snow \u201cwill prolong and expand flooding,\u201d and that as water flows downstream, the threat of flooding will increase and become more widespread.\nAddressing Sheltering and Housing Needs\nMany structures have been damaged or destroyed by the flooding, including estimates of more than 2,000 homes in Nebraska, according to Governor Pete Ricketts, and more than 1,000 structures\u2014including homes\u2014in Iowa, according to Governor Kim Reynolds. FEMA, working with the state government, is scheduled to begin the damage assessment process in Nebraska the week of March 25, 2019. Estimates may change as damage assessments are conducted.\nThe American Red Cross is operating shelters in states affected by flooding, including Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Mississippi, and Illinois, and emergency protective measures (e.g., sheltering assistance) and Individual Assistance (IA) are authorized for eligible individuals and households residing in designated areas in Nebraska and Iowa, pursuant to the presidential declarations. Additionally, the Small Business Administration (SBA) may provide low-interest loans to homeowners/renters to cover residential losses that are not fully compensated by insurance.\nTypes of FEMA Assistance Provided for Major Disasters\nFEMA provides three major categories of assistance for major disasters: \nPublic Assistance (PA) provides grants to tribal, state, and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, debris removal operations, and repair or replacement of damaged public infrastructure.\nIndividual Assistance (IA) provides direct aid to affected individuals and households, and can take the form of housing assistance, other needs assistance, crisis counseling, case management services, legal services, and disaster unemployment assistance. \nHazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) funds mitigation and resiliency projects and programs, typically across the entire state. \nThe forms of assistance authorized by a major disaster declaration may vary by the designated areas, per the declaration (subject to amendment). The President can also amend major disaster declarations to decrease the state cost-share requirements for some PA grants.\nNational Flood Insurance Program\nThe National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the primary source of flood insurance coverage for residential properties. Homeowners and tenants with NFIP flood insurance can make flood damage claims using the normal NFIP claims process. FEMA may institute a claims process specific to the Midwest floods at a later date; for example, FEMA extended the proof of loss deadline for Hurricane Florence (2018) from 60 days to 1 year.\nAs of January 1, 2019, the NFIP had $5.317 billion available ($4.496 billion in the National Flood Insurance Fund and $822 million in the reserve fund), as well as $9.9 billion of borrowing authority from the Treasury and up to $1.96 billion of reinsurance for a single flood event with losses over $4 billion.\nFederal Funding for Disaster Response and Recovery\nFEMA\u2019s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is the primary source of federal government resources for response and recovery activities. It is often used as an indicator of the overall availability of federal resources for response and recovery. \nAs a result of more than $12 billion in annual appropriations provided in P.L. 116-6, Division A, and carryover balances from prior-year appropriations, as of February 28, 2019, the DRF had nearly $31 billion in unobligated budget authority. These funds do not expire at the end of the fiscal year, and are to remain available until expended. \nSeveral other disaster relief programs rely on supplemental appropriations to support their operations. These include the SBA Disaster Loan Program and the Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s Community Development Fund. In October 2018, the latter received a $1.68 billion supplemental appropriation in Division I of P.L. 115-254 for grants to states for disaster relief and recovery activities \u201cin the most impacted and distressed areas resulting from a major disaster declared in 2018.\u201d Prior to this supplemental appropriation, the most recent supplemental appropriations for disaster response and recovery were provided in P.L. 115-123, enacted in February 2018.\nAdditional Flooding Incident Resources\nCitizens:\nReady.gov Floods\nRed Cross Flood Safety Checklist\nNational Weather Service Social Media: Flood Safety\nFEMA Programs:\nPublic Assistance Fact Sheet\nIndividual Assistance Fact Sheet\nHazard Mitigation Grant Program Overview\nNational Flood Insurance Program Overview\nCRS Resources\nFlooding Incident Resources\nCRS Report R40882, Flooding Events: CRS Experts \nCRS Report R43519, Natural Disasters and Hazards: CRS Experts\nCRS Insight IN11050, Selected Issues for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Reauthorization and Reform: Homeland Security Issues in the 116th Congress \nCRS Insight IN11049, A Brief Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program: Homeland Security Issues in the 116th Congress\nCRS Report R44593, Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)\nCRS In Focus IF10565, Federal Disaster Assistance for Agriculture\nCRS Report R45017, Flood Resilience and Risk Reduction: Federal Assistance and Programs \nCRS In Focus IF10606, Dam Safety: Federal Programs and Authorities \nCRS In Focus IF10788, Levee Safety and Risk: Status and Considerations\nFederal Disaster Assistance\u2014Process and Programs\nCRS Report R41981, Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies\nCRS Report R43784, FEMA\u2019s Disaster Declaration Process: A Primer \nCRS Report R44977, Preliminary Damage Assessments for Major Disasters: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Observations\nCRS Report RL31734, Federal Disaster Assistance Response and Recovery Programs: Brief Summaries\nCRS Report R43990, FEMA\u2019s Public Assistance Grant Program: Background and Considerations for Congress \nCRS Report R45085, FEMA Individual Assistance Programs: In Brief\nCRS Report R44412, SBA Disaster Loan Program: Frequently Asked Questions\nCRS Report R45238, FEMA and SBA Disaster Assistance for Individuals and Households: Application Process, Determinations, and Appeals\nCRS Report R43560, Deployable Federal Assets Supporting Domestic Disaster Response Operations: Summary and Considerations for Congress", "type": "CRS Insight", "typeId": "INSIGHTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/IN11084", "sha1": "4f122b2fba34b7eb2f443fe3741629c51a1d990a", "filename": "files/20190326_IN11084_4f122b2fba34b7eb2f443fe3741629c51a1d990a.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/IN11084", "sha1": "43fe7a7a7c4f7a426584a0d99cf9abd348af50c3", "filename": "files/20190326_IN11084_43fe7a7a7c4f7a426584a0d99cf9abd348af50c3.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4845, "name": "Federal Emergency Management" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "CRS Insights" ] }