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Florida Department of Community Affairs

Division of Housing and Community Development

Community Development Block Grant Program

Disaster Recovery

Introduction

The Community Development Block Grant Program administers the Disaster Recovery Initiative for the State of Florida. At present, the Disaster Recovery team manages grants related to the 2004, 2005 and 2008 hurricane seasons. Through allocations provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, (HUD) these grant dollars help cities, counties and states recover from Presidentially-declared disasters, especially in low-income areas. Grantees must use at least half of Disaster Recovery funds for activities that principally benefit low-and moderate-income persons.

Recovery projects rehabilitate damaged housing and infrastructure, whereas mitigation projects provide for hardening to housing and public structures along with flood and drainage projects. Eligible activities must meet at least one of three program national objectives: benefit persons of low and moderate income, aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight, or meet other urgent community development needs because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community where other financial resources are not available.

2008 Hurricane Disaster Recovery

  • Community Development Block Grant disaster relief funding was made available to Florida by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, under Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et. seq.) for federally declared natural disasters that occurred during 2008.
  • Florida received $81,063,855 for affected communities
  • Congress allocated the funding to assist in recovery from federally declared natural disasters that occurred during 2008 (Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike)
  • Congress directed that the funds go "to areas facing the greatest need"
2008 Resources