When a natural disaster
strikes, whole communities are changed forever.
Disaster assistance requires technical knowledge,
compassion, and experience.
For many years, ICF
International's professionals in housing,
community and economic development, and emergency
management have supported disaster assistance
efforts throughout the United States for federal,
state, and local government clients. Our insights
on disaster support indicate that during the
immediate weeks and months following an event,
it essential to demonstrate the ability to
coordinate programs between various levels
of government, an understanding of the leadership
role of local governments, and the awareness
of how subject matter experts can overcome
roadblocks.
Our experience includes:
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Recent Disasters
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—Louisiana and Mississippi
ICF International supported The Road Home program for the
State of Louisiana's Office of Community Development (OCD). Under the three-year contract, ICF provided outreach to homeowners and assistance with the application and eligibility process, in accordance with state guidelines, for qualified homeowners and small rental unit landlords.
This housing grants management program was designed to help the affected population repair, rebuild, or relocate by reimbursing as much as US$150,000 to qualified homeowners and small rental unit landlords for their uninsured, uncompensated damages.
The Road Home program was created by Louisiana Governor Blanco, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, and the OCD, and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Immediately after the storms, ICF deployed staff to Louisiana and Mississippi to serve in a variety
of key roles to promote outcome-oriented state and
community recovery planning and implementation. We
provided support to federal, state, and local officials
through our contracts with federal agencies such
as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). Our support also involved
coordinating with federal partner agencies, providing
operations support to senior-level management, and
providing technical expertise on economic development,
architectural, and environmental issues.
Our technical
assistance and support to the Louisiana Housing Finance
Agency's HOME program through
a cooperative agreement with HUD helped implement
a housing and rehabilitation program, and provided
management and organizational support to the program's
staff and consultants. ICF worked with the State
of Louisiana to help describe the demand for housing
assistance, identify programs to meet the need, and
describe the systems for delivering the services.
Hurricane Charley—Florida
ICF International staff also provided housing expertise
to the FEMA-funded Long Term Recovery Planning initiatives
in the three South Florida counties most severely
impacted by Hurricane Charley (Charlotte, Desoto,
and Hardee). Support was provided to local government
officials, local housing program staff, nonprofits,
service providers, and builders to develop housing
recovery strategies, identify and develop housing
project concepts, and develop community consensus
for collaborative housing initiatives. ICF continues
to work with Escambia County and the City of Pensacola
to implement housing strategies, leverage housing
recovery funding, and build capacity of nonprofits
and the EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless to better
respond to the housing needs following the disastrous
loss of nearly 50 percent of the housing stock.
Other Disaster Assistance
Our work extends to other natural disaster events
such as recovery from tornado damage that devastated
a business district and neighborhood in a Midwestern
city. ICF identified gaps and developed an action
plan around reconstruction efforts, and provided
support to residential redevelopment efforts. Our
work in the area of recovery from wind-related events
includes providing ICF housing assistance support
in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma; Haysville, Kansas; and
Arkadelphia,
Arkansas.
In the aftermath of the inundation of Grand
Forks, North Dakota, from the 1997 Red River floods, ICF
also provided support to its post-disaster
housing efforts.
Lessons Learned
While every disaster has its many unique qualities,
there are common threads that can be anticipated
and quickly addressed by experienced experts: the
confusion regarding application of federal grant
programs, the ability to leverage multiple sources
to create momentum behind recovery, the key role
of partnerships with private and nonprofit entities,
the importance of using relationships to overcome
frustration and uncertainty. Each of these insights
are applied anew as communities work to rebuild their
lives and their homes.
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