HUD APPROVES DISASTER RECOVERY PLANS IN ALABAMA
$55.6 million to help Alabama communities to rebuild from 2011 tornadoes

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the approval of multiple disaster recovery plans in Alabama totaling $55.6 million in emergency aid to help several communities including Tuscaloosa, Jefferson County and Birmingham to recover from last year's devastating storms and tornadoes. With the acceptance of these disaster plans, the real work of long-term disaster recovery throughout Alabama can now begin.

Provided through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, these grants will support long-term disaster recovery efforts in local communities devastated by last year's disasters.

"Now that these plans are in place, it's time to get down to the real business of rebuilding the housing and infrastructure damaged by last year's tornadoes," said Edward Jennings, Jr., HUD's Southeast Regional Administrator. "These communities can now begin to implement these plans and start making their neighborhoods whole again."

On November 18, 2011, Congress appropriated $300 million in CDBG funds to support long-term disaster recovery in the most impacted and distressed areas resulting from a major disaster in 2011. Concurrently, Congress gave HUD the authority to allocate up to an additional $100 million for the recovery efforts. Secretary Shaun Donovan exercised HUD's full authority by targeting the maximum amount of CDBG funding allowed toward helping these most impacted state and local areas.

These funds are intended to confront unmet housing, business and infrastructure needs beyond those addressed by other forms of public and private assistance. Using a combination of federal data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), HUD identified those states and local communities most impacted and requiring the greatest assistance to recover due to the devastating tornadoes in the Southeast and Missouri; the remnants of Hurricanes Irene and Lee in the Northeast and New England; severe flooding in parts of North Dakota; and destructive wildfires in Texas.

Earlier this year, HUD allocated $24,697,966 to the State of Alabama to support long-term disaster recovery in several hard-hit counties. In addition, HUD is providing $16,634,702 to City of Tuscaloosa; $7,847,084 to Jefferson County; and $6,386,326 to the City of Birmingham to further support local recovery activities. For more information:

• Read the State of Alabama's approved disaster recovery plan (adeca.alabama.gov/Divisions/ced/cdp/CDBG Documents/Draft Substantial Amendment No. 1 August 2012.pdf)
  
  
• Read the City of Tuscaloosa's approved disaster recovery plan (www.ci.tuscaloosa.al.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=3534)
  
  
• Read the City of Birmingham's approved disaster recovery plan (www.birminghamal.gov/pdf/community/2012/Disaster Recovery Grant Action Plan for Public Review.pdf)
  
  
• Read Jefferson County's approved disaster recovery plan (jeffconline.jccal.org/comdev/DocumentManager/CD/DRGRActionPlan/455414170)

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