When Disaster Strikes, the Paperwork Shouldn’t Strike Twice
Originally published in a REALTOR® Association of Fox Valley newsletter. Republished here as part of Neeley Erickson’s Policy Commentary series.
A storm can damage a home in minutes. Recovering from it should not take years.
Unfortunately, disaster survivors and communities often face a second storm after the skies clear: complicated applications, reimbursement delays, temporary housing challenges, and uncertainty about when help will arrive.
Congress is considering a bipartisan proposal aimed at making that process faster and easier. On July 15, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act, also known as the FEMA Act.
The legislation has earned support from the National Association of REALTORS® because it recognizes an important connection: disaster recovery is also housing policy.
What Could Change?
The FEMA Act would make several significant changes to the federal disaster response process, including:
Creating a single application for federal disaster assistance programs
Providing assistance based on estimated costs instead of requiring communities to wait for reimbursement
Giving FEMA permanent authority to repair damaged homes
Strengthening mitigation and home-hardening efforts
Helping communities rebuild to more resilient standards
One of the most practical ideas is also one of the simplest: when possible, repair the home.
Paying for months of hotel stays or temporary FEMA trailers can be expensive and disruptive. Repairing a damaged home may cost less, allow a family to return sooner, and prevent another property from disappearing from an already strained housing market.
Why It Matters for Housing
Disasters do not affect only the homes directly in their path. They can displace families, reduce available housing inventory, place additional pressure on rental markets, interrupt pending real estate transactions, and create new insurance challenges throughout a community.
When damaged homes remain uninhabitable for months or years, the effects can ripple across an entire housing market. Communities may lose residents, employers may struggle to retain workers, and families may be unable to find suitable temporary housing near their jobs and schools.
Repairing homes more quickly can help stabilize neighborhoods and preserve housing that might otherwise be lost.
Why It Matters for REALTORS® and Communities
The FEMA Act would not replace private insurance or solve the affordability issues facing homeowners. It could, however, help homes become habitable sooner and support improvements designed to reduce future damage.
That matters as buyers increasingly ask about insurance costs, flood risk, storm damage, and the resilience of a property. Faster mitigation projects and stronger rebuilding standards may also help reduce future losses and support the continued availability of insurance in disaster-prone areas.
For REALTORS®, this is about more than rebuilding structures. It is about helping homeowners remain in their communities, protecting local housing inventory, and restoring neighborhoods after disaster strikes.
The Bigger Picture
Disaster recovery is not only about responding to an emergency. It is about preserving housing, helping families remain in their communities, and rebuilding in ways that reduce future losses.
The weather may be unpredictable, but the recovery process does not have to be. After surviving a disaster, no homeowner should also have to survive a mountain of paperwork.
The FEMA Act remains under consideration by Congress.
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Strong housing policy begins with clear data, thoughtful collaboration, and a shared commitment to expanding opportunity for every community.
—Neeley Erickson
Neeley Erickson is a Government Affairs Director specializing in housing policy, local governance, and community development across Illinois. Her work focuses on advancing practical solutions that expand housing opportunity and strengthen communities.