Storm & Fire Survivors Demand Disaster Recovery Funding at U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, over fifty storm and fire survivors gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to call for fully-funded disaster relief and a faster, effective recovery system for families and communities in an event coordinated by Organizing Resilience.

Survivors from Florida, Georgia, Hawai'i, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana shared powerful testimonies of community relief efforts amidst the devastating delays caused by needless delays and lack of funding for comprehensive disaster relief and recovery efforts.

"I have seen the devastating and long-term impact natural disasters like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida have had on our families at home first-hand and spent my time in Congress working with organizations like the NJOP to secure resources for those still working to recover years later. Still, there is so much to be done at the federal level to help communities across the country as we see a worsening climate crisis and severe natural disasters occurring at an increasingly alarming rate," said Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ). "It was powerful to hear from so many today about the need for leaders to step up and do the jobs we were sent here to do so that FEMA remains fully funded and that disaster survivors have the support they need so that no one has to wait for help to rebuild their homes and lives after catastrophic events."

With Congress now considering an ongoing measure to fund the government, there has been increased pressure from communities impacted by both 2023 and 2024 storms and wildfires to fund a faster and more effective recovery system. These demands include:

- Permanent authorization and full funding of HUD's Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, to fill the gaps from short-term FEMA aid and insufficient insurance payouts and make sure that rebuilding funds are available when they are needed most—not years after the fact.
- Replenishing FEMA's disaster relief efforts and making their important new programs retroactively available for all disaster survivors since 2021.

"On the night Hurricane Ian destroyed our home, my husband—still recovering from a massive stroke—held me up for nearly eight hours as we clung to a shopping center column, dodging debris in surge waters," said Tara Boyd, a Fort Myers Beach resident and Hurricane Ian survivor with United Survivors Disaster Relief. "When we returned the next day, our house was gone, along with all our personal belongings. But the aftermath—the chaos of navigating a system that should have been there to help us—was even worse than the storm. As the wife of a Navy veteran and the daughter of an Army veteran, I ask you to use my voice and my story to ensure that future survivors have the support they need to rebuild their lives, their homes, and their communities. I am not the only one, and I will not be the last."

"The fire that destroyed my family's home has left us and countless others grappling with skyrocketing rents, dwindling resources, and an uncertain future, " said Krizhna Bayudan, a survivor of the 2023 Lahaina Fire and an organizer with the Hawai'i Worker Center. "CDBG-DR funding is critical to filling the gaps left by FEMA and insurance companies, providing rent assistance, and giving families like mine the chance to rebuild with dignity and hope."

Visuals from the Event:
Photos and videos from today's event are available here.

Led by disaster survivors, Organizing Resilience is changing how we respond when disaster strikes: moving rapid response support to organizations on the ground in the immediate aftermath; bringing survivors together to build capacity over the long term; and driving campaigns to overhaul the national disaster response system.

SOURCE Organizing Resilience