HUD and SBA further collaborate in preparation for upcoming Hurricane Season

HUD and SBA Region IV disaster leadership and staff discuss hurricane preparation measures during recent meeting in HUD Region IV Atlanta Regional Office.

Left to right - Michael German, HUD Georgia lead; Jack Camp, SBA Disaster Assistance Public Affairs - East; Denise Cleveland-Leggett, HUD SE Regional Administrator; Kem Fleming, Center Director for Field Operations Center - East; Michael Lampton, SBA Disaster Assistance Public Affairs Manager, Tony Hebert, HUD Region I-V Disaster Recovery Coordinator and Nikel Bailey, HUD Region IV Disaster Assistance.

The southeast region has seen its fair share of hurricanes of late and as part of HUD's and SBA's ongoing efforts to better prepare for hurricane season recently met to review and better understand the assistance each is able to render and what that assistance entails. HUD SE Region Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett and members of her regional disaster team met with Kem Fleming, SBA, Center Director for Field Operations Center - East and members of the SBA Region IV Office of Disaster Assistance, Public Affairs to review SBA's Disaster Assistance Program and discuss improved methodologies to meet the needs of disaster survivors based on lessons learned to date.

"The takeaway from our meeting with SBA today is that we mutually continue to strive to be better prepared for the next disaster invariably helping to also meet the needs of those we mutually serve under the unfortunate circumstances they find themselves in," said Cleveland-Leggett. "We are fortunate to have such a wonderful partner lead by SBA Region IV Administrator Ashley Bell."

The SBA Office of Disaster Assistance's (www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/oda) mission is to provide low interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery & equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster.

To learn more about HUD disaster resources go to HUD Disaster Resources. HUD also partners with Federal and state agencies to help implement disaster recovery assistance and provides flexible grants to help cities, counties, parishes, and states recover from presidentially declared disasters, especially in low- and moderate-income areas. HUD publishes allocations and program requirements in notices in the Federal Register. Generally, Community Development Block Grants -Disaster Recovery Assistance (CDBG-DR) requirements apply unless modified by appropriations statute, waived, or supplanted by alternative requirements. CDBG Disaster Recovery Assistance is also subject to requirements of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act).

When major disasters occur, Congress may appropriate additional funding for the CDBG program as Disaster Recovery grants to rebuild the affected areas and bring crucial seed money to stimulate the recovery process. Because CDBG funds a broad range of activities, CDBG Disaster Recovery assistance helps communities and neighborhoods that otherwise might not recover due to limits on other resources. Disaster Recovery grants supplement disaster programs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Under the National Response Framework the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (www.fema.gov) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) (www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html) offer initial recovery assistance.

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