U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

47-251 

" ! COMMITTEE PRINT 111th Congress 

1st Session 

S. PRT. 

2009

111–7 

FAR FROM HOME: 

DEFICIENCIES IN FEDERAL DISASTER 

HOUSING ASSISTANCE AFTER 

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA AND 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT 

SPECIAL REPORT 

PREPARED BY THE

AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER 

RECOVERY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

FEBRUARY 2009 

Available via http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html 


congress.#13
FAR FROM HOME: DEFICIENCIES IN FEDERAL DISASTER HOUSING ASSISTANCE 

AFTER HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

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1 

47-251 

" ! COMMITTEE PRINT 111th Congress 

1st Session 

S. PRT. 

2009

111–7 

FAR FROM HOME: 

DEFICIENCIES IN FEDERAL DISASTER 

HOUSING ASSISTANCE AFTER 

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA AND 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT 

SPECIAL REPORT 

PREPARED BY THE

AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER 

RECOVERY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

FEBRUARY 2009 

Available via http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html 


congress.#13
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman 

CARL LEVIN, Michigan 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas 

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

JON TESTER, Montana 

ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois 

MICHAEL BENNET, Colorado 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine 

TOM COBURN, Oklahoma 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio 

JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director 

BRANDON L. MILHORN, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk 

AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER RECOVERY 

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana, Chairman 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

DONNY R. WILLIAMS, JR., Staff Director 

CHARLIE MARTEL, Chief Investigative Counsel 

ALAN KAHN, Investigator and Senior Counsel 

AMANDA FOX, Professional Staff Member 

EVAN GLABERSON, Legal Clerk 

APRILLE C. RAABE, Minority Staff Director 

KELSEY STROUD, Chief Clerk 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

DURING THE 110TH CONGRESS 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman 

CARL LEVIN, Michigan 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas 

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana 

BARACK OBAMA, Illinois 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

JON TESTER, Montana 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine 

TED STEVENS, Alaska 

GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio 

NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota 

TOM COBURN, Oklahoma 

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico 

JOHN WARNER, Virginia 

JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire 

MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director 

BRANDON L. MILHORN, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk 

AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER RECOVERY 

DURING THE 110TH CONGRESS 

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana, Chairman 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas 

TED STEVENS, Alaska 

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico 

DONNY R. WILLIAMS, JR., Staff Director 

APRILLE C. RAABE, Minority Staff Director 

KELSEY STROUD, Chief Clerk 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 1 

I. Subcommittee Investigation .......................................................................... 1 

II. FEMA’s Post-Katrina Housing Response ..................................................... 5 

III. HUD’s Post-Katrina Housing Role ............................................................... 12 

IV. FEMA’s Strategy and Planning Before, During, and After Katrina ......... 19 

Chapter One—The History of Federal Disaster Response ........................ 25 

I. Disaster Response and Recovery Prior to 1950 ........................................... 25 

II. 1950 to 1979 ................................................................................................... 27 

III. Creation of FEMA and Review of Pre-Katrina Disaster Responses .......... 28 

A. FEMA ....................................................................................................... 28 

B. Stafford Act of 1988 ................................................................................ 30 

C. Hurricane Hugo ....................................................................................... 30 

D. The Loma Prieta Earthquake ................................................................ 30 

E. Hurricane Andrew ................................................................................... 32 

F. The Northridge Earthquake ................................................................... 33 

G. Transition From the Clinton to the Bush Administration .................. 34 

IV. September 11, 2001, Creation of the Department of Homeland Security, 

and FEMA’s Incorporation Into DHS ........................................................... 35 

Chapter Two—The Stafford Act ....................................................................... 37 

I. Presidential Declaration and FEMA’s Authority to Direct Disaster 

Assistance ....................................................................................................... 37 

II. The Two Major Housing Programs—Emergency Shelter and Individual 

Assistance ....................................................................................................... 38 

A. Emergency Shelter Under Section 403 .................................................. 39 

B. Assistance to Individuals and Households Under Section 408 ............ 39 

C. Conditions and Restrictions for Section 408 Housing Assistance ....... 42 

III. Flexibility and Discretion in the Stafford Act Was Not Exercised ............ 43 

IV. Public Assistance for State and Local Infrastructure and Services— 

Cost Shares .................................................................................................... 45 

V. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management and Reform Act (PKEMRA) 47 

Chapter Three—FEMA’s Post-Katrina Housing Assistance Programs ... 49 

I. Introduction: FEMA Housing Programs and FEMA’s Overall PostKatrina Housing Assistance ......................................................................... 49 

A. FEMA’s Housing Programs Summarized .............................................. 51 

B. The Positive Side of FEMA’s Response: The Volume of FEMA 

Assistance ................................................................................................ 53 

II. The Immediate Response to Katrina: FEMA’s Early Decisions Define 

and Limit Housing Options ........................................................................... 55 

A. Seven Factors That Limited FEMA’s Housing Options ....................... 57 

B. Consequences of FEMA’s Limited Options ............................................ 68 

III. FEMA’s Section 403 Shelter Assistance ...................................................... 75 

A. Section 403 Assistance Generally .......................................................... 75 

B. Operation and Termination of Section 403 Programs .......................... 75 

C. Criticism of FEMA’s Flawed Administration of its Section 403 Programs ........................................................................................................ 86 

Page

IV 

IV. The Post-Section 403 ‘‘Housing Gap’’ and FEMA’s Unsuccessful Attempt 

to Launch a Rental Repair Program ............................................................ 88 

V. FEMA’s Section 408 Housing Assistance ..................................................... 93 

A. The Section 408 Eligibility Process ........................................................ 94 

B. The Section 408 Rental Assistance Program ........................................ 96 

C. Trailers and Mobile Homes .................................................................... 105 

D. The Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) .................................. 119 

E. Recoupment ............................................................................................. 120 

VI. The Relationship of FEMA Public Assistance to Individual Housing 121 

VII. FEMA’s Internal After-Action Report Confirms Problems With PostKatrina Housing Response ............................................................................ 123 

A. Housing Programs, Procedures and Organization Were Insufficient 

for a Large Scale Catastrophic Disaster ................................................ 124 

B. There Was No Catastrophic Disaster Operational Plan ...................... 125 

C. Policies Were Unclear and Inconsistently Applied ............................... 125 

D. Delay and Exclusion ............................................................................... 126 

E. Inadequate Staff, Poor Training and Insensitive Conduct .................. 126 

VIII. Summary of Findings .................................................................................... 126 

Chapter Four—The Role of the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development in Post-Katrina Housing ....................................................... 131 

I. HUD’s Role in FEMA’s Post-Katrina Housing Response ........................... 136 

A. The Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program (KDHAP) ........... 137 

B. The Disaster Voucher Program (DVP) .................................................. 141 

C. The Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) ............................ 142 

D. Additional HUD Support ........................................................................ 151 

II. The Decision Not to Utilize HUD in Lead Housing Role After Hurricane 

Katrina ........................................................................................................... 156 

A. HUD’s Losing Battle With The White House and DHS ....................... 158 

B. FEMA’s Conflict Over HUD’s Role ........................................................ 161 

C. Alternate FEMA Planning Decisions During First Three Weeks of 

Response ................................................................................................... 163 

D. Attempts to Convey HUD’s Capabilities ............................................... 164 

E. Ultimate Decision and Responsibility .................................................... 166 

III. Calls to Expand HUD’s Role in the Future ................................................. 167 

A. Demands Since 2005 and FEMA’s Response in 2009 ........................... 168 

B. Formalization of DHAP .......................................................................... 169 

C. DHAP-IKE ............................................................................................... 170 

IV. Unanswered Questions .................................................................................. 171 

A. Recognition, But Inaction, Regarding Housing Stock .......................... 172 

B. Ability to Provide Housing Stock: Half of the Equation ...................... 173 

C. Translating HUD’s Housing Capabilities to a Catastrophic Setting .. 178 

D. Remaining Questions: Funding, the Other Half of the Equation ....... 181 

V. Summary of Findings .................................................................................... 183 

Chapter Five—The Effects of Federal Assistance After Katrina For 

State and Local Government ......................................................................... 186 

I. Mississippi ...................................................................................................... 188 

A. State Government ................................................................................... 188 

B. Local Governments .................................................................................. 191 

II. Louisiana ........................................................................................................ 193 

A. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) ............................................. 193 

B. City of New Orleans ................................................................................ 195 

C. Housing Statistics ................................................................................... 199 

III. Texas ............................................................................................................... 201 

A. Harris County .......................................................................................... 201 

B. City of Houston, Mayor Bill White ........................................................ 203 

IV. Summary of Findings .................................................................................... 209 

Page

V 

Chapter Six—Legal Action as a Consequence of FEMA’s Post-Katrina 

Housing Response ............................................................................................ 211 

I. Class Action Litigation .................................................................................. 211 

A. McWaters, et al. v. FEMA ....................................................................... 212 

B. ACORN, et al. v. FEMA .......................................................................... 217 

C. Ridgely, et al. v. FEMA ........................................................................... 218 

II. Individual Claims—Public Interest Law Organizations ............................. 220 

A. Need for Legal Assistance With Trailers, Section 408 Assistance, 

Access, Eviction, and Delay Resulting From Housing Response ......... 220 

B. Additional Housing Assistance Resulting From Legal Efforts ............ 223 

C. Continued Problems ................................................................................ 223 

Chapter Seven—FEMA’s Inability to Implement a Disaster Housing 

Strategy ............................................................................................................... 225 

I. Introduction: FEMA Acknowledged the Need For Catastrophic Housing 

Plan Prior to Katrina, But Failed to Prepare and Implement Such 

a Plan .............................................................................................................. 225 

II. The 2002 Plan ................................................................................................ 227 

III. February 2004 Catastrophic Disaster Housing Strategy ........................... 229 

IV. The 2005 Plan—The ‘‘Hurricane Pam’’ Exercise ......................................... 230 

A. The Hurricane Pam Exercise ................................................................. 230 

B. The 2005 Plan and Its Housing Provisions ........................................... 231 

V. The 2002, 2004 and 2005 Plans Were Not Implemented or Operational 

Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita .......................................................... 234 

VI. FEMA’s Unsuccessful Housing Planning Immediately After Hurricane 

Katrina ........................................................................................................... 237 

A. FEMA Did Not Use Pre-Katrina Housing Plans .................................. 237 

B. FEMA Attempts to Draft a New Strategic Housing Plan Immediately After Hurricane Katrina ............................................................ 238 

VII. The 2004 National Response Plan and 2008 National Response Framework ................................................................................................................ 241 

VIII. FEMA’s Initial National Disaster Housing Strategy: Noncompliance 

With PKEMRA ............................................................................................... 242 

A. Congress Required FEMA to Prepare and Submit a National Disaster Housing Strategy ........................................................................... 242 

B. FEMA Submitted an Initial Strategy a Year After the Statutory 

Deadline, Following Congressional Pressure and Senate Investigation ............................................................................................................ 244 

C. The Initial Strategy Failed to Comply With FEMA’s Legal Requirements Under PKEMRA and Lacked Operational Housing Plans ....... 245 

IX. FEMA’s Final National Disaster Housing Strategy: An Improved 

Foundation For Policy Reform, But More Planning and Development 

is Needed ........................................................................................................ 248 

A. The Final NDHS—Text of the Strategy and Ten Key Components ... 249 

B. Annexes to the Final Strategy Address the PKEMRA Requirements 258 

X. Summary of Findings .................................................................................... 270 

RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................ 274 

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