Latest news with #OfficeofResilience
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
SC lays plans to rebuild or repair an estimated 900 homes damaged by Hurricane Helene
Winds from Tropical Storm Helene ripped the roof off this home in Williston, S.C., at 5 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, and caused the sunroom and screened-in porch to collapse. (Provided by Emily Wiles) ANDERSON — South Carolina plans to rebuild or repair an estimated 900 homes damaged by Hurricane Helene. A state Office of Resilience plan lays out spending for nearly $200 million in federal and state funding set aside in the wake of the massive storm, which swept across the Southeast last September. Helene marked the deadliest storm in state history, leading to the deaths of 49 people and bringing tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall across most of western and central South Carolina. The 49 people in SC killed by the deadliest storm in state history To aid in recovery, the Palmetto State will spend more than 80% of the $150 million it received from U.S. Housing and Urban Development on housing. The lionshare — $110.7 million — will go to repairing and replacing homes, said Disaster Recovery Director Scott Sharpe. HUD requires the state to spend most, if not all, the federal funds in what it considers the heaviest-hit counties: Greenville, Abbeville, McCormick, Edgefield and Orangeburg. No more than 20% is allowed to go to residents of Aiken, Saluda, Greenwood, Laurens, Union, Spartanburg, Cherokee, Anderson, Oconnee and Pickens. Legislators also approved $40 million in the upcoming budget to replenish one of the state's own disaster recovery funds, a portion of which the Resilience Office will use to rebuild homes in impacted counties not eligible for federal dollars. The state is focusing rebuilding efforts on those families with the greatest financial need, starting with families earning just 30% of the area median income and further prioritizing those with children and elderly or disabled family members, Sharpe said. In Greenville County, that's less than $29,000 for a family of four. In Orangeburg County, it's an income less than $20,400, according to HUD figures. A series of disasters taught SC how to work with FEMA. Leaders encourage reform, not ending it. The state will spend up to $225,000 to rebuild a home and up to $75,000 to make repairs not covered by insurance or other financial aid, Sharpe said. The goal is to make those rebuilt homes more storm resistant. They'll have reinforced roofs and windows resistant to hurricane-force winds. The state also will elevate those in flood plains, Sharpe said. When it comes to mobile homes, if the homeowner owns the land, the state will replace them with standard, single family homes. If the homeowner leases the lot their mobile home sits on, the state will replace it with a new mobile home. Once it receives federal approval, the Resilience Office will begin taking applications for federal aid, likely in late August. The state dollars can be spent sooner, Sharpe said. State recovery officials, known as disaster case managers, have already been gathering a list of eligible homeowners and Sharpe hopes to begin rebuilds on as many as 200 homes in the next few weeks. Beyond repairs, the state is setting aside $13 million to buy out repeatedly flooded homes. Want to aid SC recovery efforts? One SC Fund re-activated to collect and distribute donations And $7.5 million will go to repair rental properties for landlords who agree to keep the rent at an affordable level as set by HUD for at least five years. Sharpe said Helene heavily impacted renters. Tenants made up roughly 40% of aid applications filed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Finally, the state is turning to volunteer organizations to help with repairs and stretch the recovery dollars further. Those volunteer groups are often nonprofits that pay for repairs through their own fundraising. They're also eligible for money from the One SC Fund. The fund was created in 2015 with the backing of then-Gov. Nikki Haley to respond to historic flooding after Hurricane Joaquin stalled off the coast and dumped up to 2 feet of rain on parts of South Carolina. The Central Carolina Community Foundation, which manages the fund, reactivated it in response to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Florence in 2018, the COVID pandemic, and most recently, Hurricane Helene. The fund raised more than $5 million for recovery efforts following the September storm.
Miami Herald
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Miami-Dade's resilience department gets a rebrand and staff cuts in efficiency push
Miami-Dade is slashing and re-organizing the county department in charge of climate change, a move that combines three top environmental roles into one and reduces the department by two-thirds. A memo released Thursday afternoon details the change, which Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is calling a bid for government efficiency in line with her 'WISE 305' strategy to cut red tape and trim the size of her administration. She also says it will help all parts of the county address climate change issues individually, as well as together. 'My administration is taking a fresh approach to our resilience efforts in order to break down siloes across County portfolios and accelerate progress on critical solutions to build a future-ready Miami-Dade, protecting our community and economy now and in the long term,' the memo reads. The changes come as Levine Cava is warning of a challenging budget for 2026, as Miami-Dade faces a cooling real estate market and the end of federal COVID dollars that buoyed spending since she took office in 2020. In her State of the County speech last month, Levine Cava announced a push to streamline county government to save money. The biggest change is eliminating two top environmental roles, a Chief Resilience Officer and a Chief Heat Officer. Both come with six-figure salaries, according to the latest county data; more than $236,000 for the former and $180,000 for the latter. Jane Gilbert, the nation's first chief heat officer, plans to retire this summer, the mayor's office said. Last month, Levine Cava announced her pick for the county's newest Chief Resilience Officer — Curtis Osceola, the former chief of staff for the Miccosukee Tribe. Days after the announcement, Osceola was arrested on domestic violence charges against his girlfriend. He says he was wrongfully detained and arrested and expects the charges to be dropped. After his arrest, the county backpedaled on hiring Osceola. Now, the role will be filled by Loren Parra, the county's Chief Bay Officer and a former communications staffer for the mayor. Parra will serve as Chief Resilience Officer while continuing her work on Biscayne Bay and absorbing the duties of Chief Heat Officer. The Office of Resilience is getting a rebrand, as well as a haircut. It's now known as the Office of Environmental Risk and Resilience, and the headcount is dropping from 27 staffers to 10, said Rachel Johnson, Levine Cava's deputy chief of staff. Only one staffer is losing their job, Johnson said. The rest are getting scattered to work on resilience projects in other parts of the county, including the airport, solid waste, housing and economic development. 'This is really to expand the impact of the resilience team,' Johnson said. 'We really want to make sure that we're creating a structure that continues to advance these critical projects into the future.' The move to re-organize and rebrand the county's top agency for adapting to climate change comes in a political climate where both the state and federal government are minimizing climate action — if not blocking it altogether. But Johnson said climate change remains one of the mayor's key priorities. 'The mayor's commitment is to resilience and investing in a future-ready community. Our commitment is as strong as ever,' she said. Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who represents District 7, said she sees the move as a proper response to a smaller budget, with a stronger focus on resilience projects versus communicating the science and impacts of climate change on the region. 'The pendulum has swung and these things were created with the best of intentions. The majority of this work has been public relations. I'm really interested in what benefit they are providing the country and the residents of Miami-Dade County,' she said. 'As the residents of Miami-Dade County tighten their belts, government must do the same.' Miami Herald Staff Writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this article.
