Representatives Adriano Espaillat and Young Kim Introduce Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act Amid California Wildfires and Other Climate Events

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Representative Young Kim (CA-40) issued the following statements in response to the ongoing wildfires in California and other major climate events around the nation.  

"Raging fires in California have displaced thousands of families and taken the lives of at least twenty-seven victims in the wake of its destruction," said Espaillat. "We embrace each of the impact families as they struggle to fully grasp and understand what steps to take along their recovery to rebuild. The California disaster comes on the heels as many in North Carolina are also recovering from the devastating floods from late last year, and as others have faced major natural disasters around the nation. Our bill, the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act, would provide survivors of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires desperately needed FEMA assistance. As we see increasingly extreme weather patterns and natural disasters, it is important that we do all we can to ensure families have access to federal resources and support they need to rebuild."   

“Last fall, the Airport Fire that started in my district burned nearly 24,000 acres across Orange and Riverside Counties. My community knows firsthand the destruction wildfires can cause and the struggle to recover in the aftermath of natural disasters. Resources from the federal government should make lives easier for survivors, not harder,” said Kim. “The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act eases access to critical assistance to help disaster victims pick up the pieces in the face of unthinkable tragedy. My heart continues to be with victims of the Los Angeles fires and our brave first responders from across Southern California who have stepped up to provide support and save lives. I’ll continue to be a loud voice for our community.”  

Reps. Espaillat and Kim reintroduced the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act, which would enable applicants to declare ownership of their homes without having to undertake efforts to locate deeds, leases, or other previously required documentation following a natural disaster. It will broaden the array of possible proof of residence, making it easier for families to access critical assistance after a storm. Additionally, the bill prohibits FEMA from requiring the notarization of disaster housing assistance applications, often an impossible requirement to meet when communities are in the initial stages of recovering from natural disasters and a bottleneck in the processing of applications for assistance. And most importantly, this bill would expand housing assistance eligibility to other forms of housing, such as mobile homes.   

The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act has previously been endorsed by the Hispanic Federation, UnidosUS, and the National Low-Income Housing Coalition during the 118th Congress.

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov