Document ID: FEMA-2010-0062-0002
Agency: fema
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2010-10-22T04:00Z

Disaster Temporary Housing Operational Guide
The Disaster Temporary Housing Operational Guide describes FEMA's approach to working with Federal partners, States, territories, tribes, voluntary agencies, local communities, and individual disaster survivors to prepare for and respond to disaster-related sheltering and temporary housing needs.  This Guide is based on key concepts that are further defined in the National Disaster Housing Strategy and supersedes the 2009 Disaster Housing Plan and all previous Disaster Housing Plans.  This Guide is effective as of [DATE] and will remain so until the Agency publishes a new version.
Overview

In the aftermath of an incident where the severity and magnitude warrant an emergency or major disaster declaration by the President, one of FEMA's initial actions includes supporting State efforts to ensure that all disaster survivors are evacuated and sheltered safely and securely, with access to food and other necessary life-sustaining resources.  As soon as possible, FEMA and the State will begin assessing the impact to disaster housing stock and initiate planning to address temporary housing needs should Individual Assistance be authorized by the President.
For less severe incidents requiring evacuation, individuals are generally able to return to their homes within hours or days of the event.  However, for more serious events, where numerous residential dwellings are destroyed or uninhabitable for an extended period, temporary housing assistance may be required.  Under the FEMA Individuals and Households Program (IHP), temporary housing assistance is available during the intermediate period (up to 18 months from the disaster declaration date, subject to extension at the request of the FEMA Regional Administrator and approval by the FEMA Assistant Administrator for Recovery) between emergency sheltering and the securing of a permanent housing solution by the disaster survivor.  
Options for temporary housing vary greatly, depending on the nature and size of the event.  If rental resources are available in the impact area, rental properties will satisfy the bulk of the temporary housing needs.  However, if the damage is significant, and existing local rental resources are insufficient to meet the needs of the displaced population, other options will need to be considered, potentially including providing FEMA Temporary Housing Units (THU) and utilizing rental resources outside of the impact area.  
FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate has clearly outlined the limitations we face when housing large numbers of survivors: 
      "Although our first priority is always to shelter and house survivors in or near their communities, that will simply not be possible in a truly catastrophic event or an event involving contamination. While we continue to aggressively explore options to quickly
      provide or restore housing in affected areas, the capability will simply never exist to
      locally shelter and temporarily house half a million or more survivors.  Instead, we all
      need to recognize the need for a timely, organized, and disciplined relocation of survivors
      to venues where such shelter and follow-on temporary housing exists."  
Disaster Housing Preparedness Actions

Preparedness activities carried out during non-disaster periods will ensure that States are in the best possible position to assist their citizens as quickly and effectively as possible.  FEMA Regional Offices will encourage and support State efforts to plan for disaster-related housing needs as follows:
Develop a State-Led Disaster Housing Task Force.  FEMA encourages all States, territories, and tribes to develop standing State-Led Disaster Housing Task Forces (hereinafter "State Task Force")  in order to facilitate preparedness prior to disasters and expedite disaster response and recovery. Identifying members of a State Task Force, meeting regularly to conduct ongoing readiness planning with FEMA Regions, and maintaining current guidance on FEMA and other Federal housing programs will improve the delivery of sheltering and temporary housing assistance following an event.
Develop a State Disaster Housing Strategy.  FEMA's Regional Offices will partner with States when requested, to help develop a State Disaster Housing Strategy.  A State Disaster Housing Strategy (hereinafter "State Strategy") should provide operational guidance for supporting the disaster housing mission at the State and local levels and should document critical, jurisdiction-specific processes and procedures to promote more timely and efficient delivery of housing assistance. Development of a comprehensive State Strategy allows States to establish disaster housing priorities and identify existing State and local programs, as well as those of Federal agencies, and additional housing assistance available through non-governmental organizations, voluntary agencies, and private non-profit entities. 
FEMA Regional Offices will continue to coordinate with States and FEMA's Individual Assistance-Technical Assistance Contracts (IA-TAC) contractors to develop disaster response playbooks, incorporating Regional, State, and local requirements and priorities. FEMA can also utilize resources under its National Preparedness Directorate to provide States with technical assistance to conduct their own planning efforts and to develop training materials, tools, and templates.
Specific actions the State can take to facilitate the development of a State Strategy include:
   * Document available State, local, and Federal housing assistance programs, eligibility requirements and implementation plans for disasters
   * Establish priorities for the delivery of temporary housing 
   * Develop operational tools, templates and training materials
   * Identify and monitor available rental housing 
   * Identify and monitor commercial manufactured and other temporary housing and recreational vehicle pads
   * Identify prospective group site locations for manufactured temporary housing
   * Review and expedite permitting processes for rebuilding and site construction
   * Select acceptable forms of manufactured temporary housing
   * Engage State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters
Disaster Housing Response Actions

FEMA's approach is to provide safe, sanitary, and functional housing options that are appropriate to the community and the disaster.  The Disaster Temporary Housing Operational Guide employs the full range of temporary housing options and capabilities.  
After a Presidentially-declared disaster, FEMA, in support of and in close coordination with the State Task Force and other Federal partners, will help evaluate damage assessments, information from disaster survivors, existing resources, other Agency programs, and housing inspection information to identify disaster housing requirements and develop a disaster-specific FEMA-State Disaster Housing Plan.  At a minimum, disaster housing decision makers must determine approximately how many households may require temporary housing assistance and what types of temporary housing are most appropriate.
Temporary housing decisions depend upon a thorough review of the damage to the impacted community, including utilities (e.g. water, sewer, power, and gas) as well as life sustaining and public safety services such as medical facilities, police, and fire departments; and community supports such as jobs, schools, grocery stores, and transportation systems.  If these critical services are not available or not expected to be restored within a reasonable time, alternative options such as relocation may be considered.
FEMA may provide or support the following forms of assistance for disaster survivors:
          1[st]  -  Maximize Use of Available Local Housing Resources
                 2[nd]  -  Use Manufactured Temporary Housing
      3[rd]  -  Employ Innovative Alternative Forms of Temporary Housing
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4[th]  -  Authorize Semi-Permanent or Permanent Construction
          1[st]  -  Maximize Use of Available Local Housing Resources
Emergency Sheltering.  In the face of an approaching disaster, or after a disaster strikes, individuals and households may be forced to leave their homes to seek shelter.  Regardless of eligibility for assistance programs, in general a shelter provides disaster survivors with a safe, sanitary, and functional environment, including life-sustaining services, when they are displaced from their primary residences due to natural or man-made disasters.  For declared disasters, shelter expenses may be eligible for reimbursement from FEMA under Section 403  of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ("Stafford Act").  FEMA can also provide financial assistance to eligible applicants for critical disaster-related needs such as water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene items, and fuel for transportation through Critical Needs Assistance under the Other Needs Assistance provision of the IHP.
   * Rapid Temporary Roofing and Repairs:  At the State's request, FEMA may provide tarps, or, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Blue Roof Program, coordinate installation of plastic sheeting to provide a safe, shelter-in-place option for impacted families and individuals.  This temporary fix can also serve to limit further damage to homes until permanent repairs can be made.  Voluntary agencies, by coordinating with USACE, may assist with installation of plastic sheeting in areas that are not heavily populated, or may assist homeowners with installing tarps.  Similar to the Blue Roof program, FEMA is also partnering with USACE on a new initiative to make rapid temporary repairs to doors and windows to allow families to shelter in their homes until permanent repairs can be made.
   
   * Congregate Shelters:  Shelters can be operated in hard facilities (such as schools, churches, community centers, unused warehouses and stores, barracks, and berthing ships) or in soft-sided facilities (such as tents or domes) and are the responsibility of State and local governments.  Types of congregate care shelters include general population, medical support, emergency household pet, ad-hoc/spontaneous, evacuation, or refuge of last resort.  

   * Transitional Sheltering Assistance:  If emergency shelters are overwhelmed or if State and FEMA disaster leadership determine that shelter residents and evacuees will not be able to return to their homes for an extended period of time, the State may request that FEMA authorize eligible disaster survivors to receive Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA).  If TSA is authorized, FEMA will approve, fund, and administer the use of hotels and motels as transitional shelters, which is not charged against disaster survivors' maximum amount of IHP financial assistance.  (Note: FEMA can also provide reimbursement for hotel/motel accommodations to eligible applicants through the Housing Assistance program, which is subject to the IHP financial assistance limit.)
Financial Assistance for Rent.  If a damaged home is destroyed or cannot be repaired quickly, FEMA can provide financial rental assistance to eligible disaster survivors.  This assistance, which is based on the United States Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rental rate (FMR) in the affected locale, can be used to rent an apartment or other temporary housing while repairs are underway or disaster survivors look for permanent housing. 
Individuals and households may locate rental resources on their own, or if unable to locate available rental resources, seek referrals by calling the FEMA Helpline (1-800-621-FEMA).  In addition to FEMA assistance, the HUD operates a National Housing Locator System to track available rental properties, and several States have established rental assistance programs which may be able to provide referrals to available resources.
Financial Assistance for Repair and Replacement of Damaged Residences.  Following inspection and verification of damages, FEMA can provide eligible homeowners with financial assistance for repairs to make their homes habitable.  Financial assistance may also be used toward replacement of a destroyed or condemned home.  
Financial assistance for repairs is intended to include only those repairs necessary to restore the home to a condition that is safe, sanitary, and functional, and may not be sufficient to restore the home to its pre-disaster condition. 
                 2[nd]  -  Use Manufactured Temporary Housing
Temporary Housing Units.  When other housing options have been exhausted or are infeasible, temporary housing units may be used to house disaster survivors.  When requested by an impacted State, FEMA may use manufactured housing, including travel trailers, to temporarily house disaster survivors, based on the options provided in the State Strategy and the needs of the disaster survivor. Once the appropriate options have been determined by the State, temporary housing may be placed on an eligible family's private property, on a pre-existing commercial pad, or as a last resort on a new group site approved by local officials and constructed and maintained by FEMA.
In the absence of a State Strategy, the State Task Force may determine acceptable options in the disaster-specific Housing Plan.  
FEMA conducts a variety of activities related to the use of temporary housing units, including:
   * Mission Planning Teams (MPTs). To assist the State Task Force in determining the scope of housing needs and developing a Disaster Housing Plan, a Joint Field Office (JFO) may request deployment of a Housing Mission Planning Team comprised of FEMA staff, with subject matter experts from Housing, IA-TAC, USACE, and other components as required.  

   * Conduct Pre-Placement Interview (PPIs).  FEMA will conduct Pre-Placement Interviews with registered, eligible disaster survivors.  FEMA and the State Task Force will estimate the need for temporary housing units and identify the optimum solution.

   * Identify Disaster Survivors Able to Support Private Site Housing.  Based on the Pre-Placement Interviews, FEMA will determine if a temporary housing unit can be placed on the applicant's private property, or that of a friend or relative.
Baseline Inventory of Temporary Housing Units. FEMA's target inventory is to obtain and maintain 4,000 units, composed of traditional and Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) manufactured homes, park models, and travel trailers.  Manufactured homes are built to HUD standards in HUD-certified plants, while park models and travel trailers are built to ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards.  All units produced for FEMA are subject to additional FEMA construction specifications.  FEMA maintains manufacturing contracts which may be utilized to produce additional units if disaster activity requires deployment of more units than FEMA's baseline inventory. 
Production and Delivery of New Temporary Housing Unit Contracts.  When the rate of installation is projected to exceed the number of on-hand housing units ready for dispatch, FEMA may accelerate deliveries on competitively pre-awarded contracts.  These contracts include units that meet the needs of disaster survivors with disabilities and comply with UFAS.  FEMA requires, by contract, all procured units to meet strict Indoor Air Quality manufacturing specifications; currently established for formaldehyde levels of less than 0.016 parts per million (16 ppb).  Some States have established acceptable levels of formaldehyde for temporary housing units.  If a State level is not specified, FEMA may still use units from inventory or procure units from commercial sources, as required, but such units must have been tested and met or exceeded FEMA procurement specifications for indoor air quality.
      3[rd]  -  Employ Innovative Alternative Forms of Temporary Housing
Alternative Forms of Direct Housing.  New materials and innovations in design have the potential to provide a much broader array of temporary housing than FEMA's current inventory of manufactured housing options.  Certain designs and materials may be more useful in areas of limited infrastructure or extreme climatic conditions, such as some regions outside the continental United States.  Through the Joint Housing Solutions Group and the Alternative Housing Pilot Program, FEMA is exploring alternative options for temporary housing units. 
         4[th]  -  Authorize Semi-Permanent or Permanent Construction
Semi-Permanent or Permanent Housing Construction. FEMA may authorize Semi-Permanent or Permanent Housing Construction under Section 408 of the Stafford Act, in those rare and unusual cases where the forms of temporary housing previously discussed are unavailable, infeasible, or not cost-effective.  This form of housing assistance may be implemented in coordination with HUD, USACE, and/or voluntary agencies.  Assistance provided may include transporting materials to the affected area and/or construction of housing units.
Other Disaster Housing Support Actions

In support of the disaster housing solutions described above, FEMA and States can take the following actions to maximize support and outreach to disaster survivors:

Increase Capacity to Register Survivors for Assistance.  FEMA may assign additional staff, surge up personnel in its national call centers, request additional call center support from other Federal agencies (e.g., the Internal Revenue Service), and utilize contract support to augment registration capabilities if needed.  FEMA will also use online registration systems and implement the Shelter Registration Protocol, allowing FEMA personnel to deploy to  -  and register disaster survivors at  -  large congregate shelter facilities.
Accelerate Housing Inspections.  FEMA may provide temporary housing assistance to registered disaster survivors after their pre-disaster dwellings have been inspected and their eligibility verified. FEMA may direct its Housing Inspection Contractors to accelerate the pace of inspections through surge staffing (while still maintaining the necessary high degree of accuracy).  In large areas that may not be physically inspected due to inaccessibility or hazard, FEMA may employ geospatial inspection techniques.
Publicly Disseminate Housing Information to Disaster Survivors.  FEMA provides public service information through various media, outlining sources of assistance.  In a catastrophic disaster, FEMA may also dispatch Applicant Assistance teams to affected jurisdictions to answer disaster survivors' housing assistance questions.
Support Long Term Recovery Committee Activities.  Through Voluntary Agency Liaisons, FEMA supports Long Term Recovery Committees (LTRC) by providing Federal program information, identifying and arranging for training resources, guiding the community in setting up the structure of an LTRC, and helping to identify funding resources for the Unmet Needs committee.  FEMA also deploys the Coordinated Assistance Network for Case Management use, providing information on Client Information Sharing and Routine Uses to avoid duplication of benefits. The FEMA Disabilities Coordinator will also support LTRCs in their efforts to ensure that the accessibility and functional needs for those populations requiring additional assistance, are met, utilizing Federal resources when appropriate and available.
Provide Crisis Counseling, Case Management, and Other Support Services.  If States and voluntary agencies are overwhelmed, FEMA, in coordination with other Federal partners, may provide crisis counseling and/or case management services to assist individuals and households in accessing governmental, public, and private resources to facilitate their long-term recovery.  
Provide support through the National Disaster Housing Task Force.  Through the interagency National Disaster Housing Task Force (NDHTF), FEMA, in conjunction with NDHTF Federal agency partners and other stakeholders, coordinates across agencies to support State and local governments.  The Task Force partners work together to develop innovative housing programs, facilitate interagency disaster housing planning efforts, implement the National Disaster Housing Strategy, encourage involvement by the private sector and non-governmental agencies, and track disaster housing preparedness efforts nationwide.  The NDHTF catalogues the resources found in its forthcoming National Disaster Housing Resource Center, Concept of Operations, and Practitioner's Guide, and it continues to collect and develop new ways of improving the delivery of disaster housing solutions across the entire spectrum of disaster housing.  Additionally, the NDHTF analyzes best practices and lessons learned to develop guidance and tools for State Task Forces.