Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force

FACT SHEET: Progress to Date Cutting red tape to help get families back in their homes, get small businesses back on their feet and help communities rebuild their critical infrastructure: The Administration has served nearly 255,000 people thousands of businesses. FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers worked with state and local governments to reopen 97% of public beaches from New Jersey through Connecticut by Memorial Day 2013 sending a strong message to thousands of Americans that the shore was open for business. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) protected thousands of families who, through no fault of their own, were at risk of foreclosure as a result of Sandy first by putting in place a foreclosure moratorium and then by cutting red tape to offer families streamlined loan modification. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the first tranche of Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds a mere 8 days after the President signed the Sandy supplemental the fastest HUD has ever allocated these funds so homeowners and small businesses would get relief as quickly as possible. The Task Force provided certainty for those seeking to rebuild by setting, for the first time, a single, uniform Federal Flood Risk Reduction Standard for all projects funded with Sandy Supplemental dollars. The Department of Labors Employment and Training Administration provided $47 million in National Emergency Grants and helped more than 9,000 individuals who lost their jobs as a result of Sandy receive approximately $13.2 million in Disaster Unemployment Assistance. As of August 1, 2013, the Department of Agriculture has obligated $6.2 million for 22 projects which cover emergency food assistance, as well as infrastructure and economic programs. Some of these projects will help repair, rehabilitate and rebuild farmland, watersheds and flood plains. Hours after the storm passed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began surveying obstructions in the waterways that lead to critical petroleum facilities within the Port of New York/New Jersey, helping restore the flow of emergency fuel supplies by morning. Over a span of five days, NOAA, with Coast Guard and the Corps, restored maritime commerce to all major ports from New York/New Jersey to Hampton Roads, VA. This ensured the millions of people in the region had access to food, fuel and rebuilding supplies, preventing wide disruption to the economy, which depends on moving $1.4 trillion worth of products through US ports each year.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, through its AmeriCorps programs, has deployed more than 3,600 national service participants in the six states affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Piloting innovative resilience strategies to strengthen communities in the Sandy-affected region: The Task Force launched, Rebuild By Design, a competition that will attract world-class talent to develop actionable projects that will make the Sandy-impacted region more resilient. NOAA, FEMA and the Corps released a Sea Level Rise Tool that will arm communities with the best available data about sea level rise so they can take the necessary actions now and not when its too late. The Task Force has established a set of guidelines for federal investment in infrastructure to better protect communities and ensure wise investment of scarce funding. The Task Force has also brought together federal, state and local officials from across the region to ensure investments are aligned and protect the critical infrastructure that families, businesses and communities rely on.

Supporting local rebuilding visions by bringing the full resources of the federal government to bear:

Approved the CDBG-DR action plans for New York State, New Jersey and New York City, totaling $5.2 billion. The Federal Transit Administration made available over $5.7 billion in funding and the Federal Highway Administration has announced more than $500 million for recovery efforts. Over 99.5% of the more than 143,000 Sandy-related National Flood Insurance Program claims are closed and more than $7.8 billion has been paid out to policyholders. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $569 million in grants to New York and New Jersey for improvements to wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities. The Administration has obligated more than $9.1 billion, including: o o o o o $5.5 billion obligated by the Department of Homeland Security $1.3 billion obligated by the Department of Transportation $250 million obligated by the Department of Health and Human Services $215 million obligated by the Small Business Administration $190 million obligated by the Army Corps of Engineers

Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force

FACT SHEET: Key Recommendations to Guide the Continued Federal Investment in the Region Background: This Strategy sets forth guidelines that have driven spending to date and will affect the investment of the tens of billions in funding from the Sandy Supplemental that is coming into the region, with several outcomes in mind: Aligning this funding with local rebuilding visions. Cutting red tape and getting assistance to families, businesses and communities efficiently and effectively, with maximum accountability. Coordinating the efforts of the federal, state and local governments and ensuring a regionwide approach to rebuilding. Ensuring the region is rebuilding in a way that makes it more resilient that is, better able to withstand and recover quickly from future storms and other risks posed by a changing climate.

The recommendations in the Strategy were identified through the help of input from the Task Forces community engagement with a wide range of stakeholders (including businesses, nonprofits, philanthropic organization, local leaders and community groups). Summary of Recommendations By Policy Area: Ensuring a Regionally Coordinated, Resilient Approach to Infrastructure Investment by: o Making the electrical grid smarter and more flexible, and protecting the liquid fuel supply chain to better prepare for future storms and other threats. o Helping to develop a resilient power strategy for telephone and internet communication systems and equipment, so that our ability to communicate when its most necessary is less vulnerable to disaster. o Providing a forum to coordinate and discuss large-scale, regional infrastructure projects and map the connections and interdependencies between them, saving money and getting better results for all levels of government. o Establishing guidelines to ensure those projects are situated and built to withstand the impacts of existing risks and future climate change, in the region, and across the country. o Assisting States and localities to optimize Sandy recovery infrastructure funding and leverage non-federal resources to help build critical infrastructure assets that are resilient to current and future risks.

Promoting Resilient Rebuilding, Based on Current and Future Risk, Through Innovative Ideas by: o Giving governments and residents the best available data and information on current and future risks to facilitate good decision making for recovery and planning for example, by creating and making widely-available a Sea Level Rise planning tool. o Leveraging the Rebuild By Design competition to deliver innovative, resilient rebuilding ideas to the Sandy-impacted region. o Prioritizing the engagement of vulnerable populations on issues of risk and resilience. Providing Families Safe, Affordable Housing Options and Protecting Homeowners by: o Helping disaster victims to be able to stay in their homes by allowing homeowners to quickly make emergency repairs. o Preventing responsible homeowners from being forced out of their homes due to short-term financial hardship while recovering from disaster by creating nationally-consistent mortgage policies. o Making housing units both individual and multi-family more sustainable and resilient through smart recovery steps including elevating above flood risk and increased energy efficiency. o Communicating to state and local governments, residents, and workers consistent guidance on how to remediate indoor environmental pollutants such as mold. Supporting Small Businesses and Revitalizing Local Economies by: o Making it easier for small businesses to access federal contracts for Hurricane Sandy rebuilding. o Creating specialized skills training programs in the areas needed most for Sandy rebuilding including opportunities for low income individuals and other vulnerable populations. o Developing a one-stop shop online for everything related to small businesses and recovery. o Improving the process for accessing critical disaster recovery loans and other resources; and increasing SBA's unsecured disaster loan limits and expediting the disbursement of small dollar loans. Addressing Insurance Challenges, Understanding, and Accessibility by: o Encouraging homeowners and other policy-holders to take steps to mitigate future risks, such as elevating their homes and businesses above flood levels, which will not only protect against the next storm but also make their flood insurance premiums more affordable. o Streamlining payouts to homeowners and other policy-holders in the wake of a disaster. o Examining ways to address affordability challenges posed by Congressionallymandated reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program.

Building Local Governments Capacity to Plan for Long-Term Rebuilding and Prepare for Future Disasters by: o Supporting regional planning efforts underway in New York and New Jersey to create and implement locally-created and federally funded strategies for rebuilding and strengthening their communities against future extreme weather. o Funding Local Disaster Recovery Manager positions in communities in the Sandy-impacted region and taking additional steps to prepare for future disasters.