2024 US Severe Weather

After severe weather, needs will depend on the type and amount of damage. Immediate needs may include temporary repair of damaged homes and businesses. This includes debris clean-up and waste management (which also continue into long-term recovery).

There will be a need to replace vehicles, personal belongings, appliances and furniture destroyed in the disaster.

Power outages cause concerns related to food preparation and preservation, personal hygiene, lighting and maintaining temperature control.

While rebuilding the infrastructure is usually a government responsibility, smaller communities may not have the resources to provide their cost-share or to support writing state or federal grant applications. This is an area funders can support.

Recovery in rural communities is slower and requires “patient dollars.” Funders must understand that progress will not occur as quickly as it does in larger, more well-resourced communities. Investments should be made over time: Pledges of multi-year funding are very helpful, as is support for operating costs and capacity building.

Over 50% of all manufactured homes are located in rural areas around the U.S. Rural communities, in many cases, do not have access to social services, particularly disaster recovery assistance supports; thus, many rural families are more vulnerable to the impact of low-attention disasters that do not garner much media interest or donor support.

That said, while many rural communities do not have access to the same level of assistance as urban areas, the social fabric and human capital available in rural communities can be a powerful force multiplier of assistance investments.

People whose homes were damaged need new housing that is safe and affordable and/or support repairing their damaged homes. After a storm, displaced residents may face challenges finding housing that meets their needs and is affordable.

In many parts of the country, demand for housing outpaces supply, complicating recovery efforts. The ability to rebuild in rural communities is particularly  challenging due to reduced economies of scale and the cost of transporting goods.

Affordability

Long-term repair and rebuilding of housing and businesses require additional funding beyond the initial infusion of funds to address temporary shelter and immediate needs. Without an additional injection of assistance, at-risk community members may not be able to recover.

Manufactured housing

Although manufactured housing can be physically vulnerable to storms, it also represents an affordable and accessible housing option. While 71% of mobile homes are owner-occupied, depending upon the location of housing, the homeowner may only own the building, not the land. Additionally, insurance is limited for manufactured housing, especially based on the age of the building.

CDP hosted a webinar about the increased risks manufactured homes face and their role in disaster recovery. Additionally, the Manufactured Home Disaster Recovery Playbook, created by Matthew 25 in 2023 for CDP, has videos, lessons learned and other information to assist funders in supporting manufactured home disaster recovery.

After a disaster, even those with insurance may not be covered depending on the type of storm and the damage caused. For example, in the recent derecho on the Gulf Coast, people in Louisiana who had wind damage may be covered by their normal insurance policies, however those in Houston who have flood damage need to have a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Numerous companies have withdrawn from the home insurance market in states across the country, including Louisiana and Florida. Finding insurance is increasingly difficult and more expensive.

CDP recently hosted a webinar about the insurance coverage crisis in an age of increasing disasters and the role of philanthropy in helping fill the gap. The recording is well-worth watching in this current climate of multiple severe weather events and declining insurance coverage in high-risk areas.

A critical ongoing need will be unrestricted cash donations to support affected individuals and families. Direct cash assistance can allow families to secure housing, purchase items and contract services locally that address their multiple needs. It gives each family flexibility and choice, ensuring that support is relevant, cost-effective and timely. Cash assistance can also help move families faster toward rebuilding their lives. Cash also provides a much-needed jolt to local economies, which can also be a major boon to recovery.

After a storm event with significant damage, schools may be closed for a few weeks to help with recovery. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when students need the social support of their friends and teachers, especially as their families may be busy with their recovery activities.

Child care and child support programs are particularly helpful during this time and can reduce the need for child trauma counseling in later months. Funder investment in these programs has long-term benefits for children and their families.

There are often immediate health needs after storms related to injuries that arise as people are hit by falling debris, spend time in flood water or lose access to services because of damage to health centers and hospitals.

Roads may be blocked by debris or flooding, preventing health care workers from reaching their jobs or patients from reaching their providers.

It is important to think about more than storm-related injuries. Some people may need access to medical care to address acute or chronic, pre-existing health issues. Surgeries or treatments such as dialysis may be delayed, further worsening conditions.

Funders can help rebuild medical facilities, including equipment, or support temporary staff who can help meet the increased needs of the community.

Emotional and spiritual care will be critical, especially for families of people killed in the storms, first responders and those in the direct path of the storm or its impacts. Long-term mental health and trauma support will also be required. Some of the affected communities may have been impacted by previous events, which has left them with increased trauma from natural hazards.

There is also severe risk of poor emotional health, suicide or self-harming behaviors among people with pre-existing mental health issues. Farmers or ranchers also have unique needs that require support after disasters. The loss of generational family property is often devastating. CDP’s Midwest Early Recovery Fund made a video to help funders understand this  issue.

Supporting locally-based and culturally-competent mental health resources is an excellent way for funders to build individual and community resiliency and support mental health.

Business recovery is always critical to helping communities rebuild. When storms damage or destroy businesses, it negatively impacts people’s livelihoods. Given the higher costs of living and ongoing recovery from COVID-19, this is particularly challenging for small businesses.

Funders can support small businesses with grants and loans. Some businesses may need help meeting their deductible. Others may want to take the opportunity to improve their building to prevent damage in future storms. Loans with minimal interest could be an opportunity for funders to support the enhancement or expansion of a small business.

FEMA’s new Individual Assistance program now supports self-employed individuals with recovery from disasters, but there are always people who will not get the assistance they need. This is another opportunity for funders to use the flexibility of their funding to address gaps.

Disaster assistance may be available in various forms and from different sources. People often need help navigating the assistance process, particularly undocumented people and people whose first language is not English. Government assistance is vital but can also be cumbersome and confusing for households and communities.

For example, Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans are part of the federal sequence of assistance for FEMA’s Individual and Households Program (IHP). Many people may not understand that the loans, though they originate from the SBA, can be made to individuals/families. FEMA also recently set equity as a strategic priority and changes to the Individual Assistance program are helping get more support into the hands of people who need it the most.

Funders can support organizations that work to help people complete their submissions and file appeals.

In most situations, disaster recovery navigation services – also called disaster case management – can be a valuable and hugely impactful resource in expediting the recovery process, especially if governmental disaster assistance is available. Disaster case managers can provide essential support and guidance in accessing resources and navigating the road to recovery.

In some disasters, case management is provided with funds from the federal and/or state government, but the timing does not always align with the needs of the community. Funders can fill the gap from the time immediately after a disaster until a government-funded case management program starts.

CDP has a disaster case management toolkit that can be helpful for communities and funders looking to create local case management programs.