The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013
The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113-2) (SRIA) amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) following Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the Eastern US in October 2012. Beginning as a hurricane, Sandy morphed into something more, ultimately claiming scores of lives and causing billions of dollars of damage.
As recovery efforts began, Superstorm Sandy also exposed vulnerabilities in several FEMA processes, most notably the process to apply for recovery funding as well as the actual delivery of those funds. In response, Congress passed SRIA, which sought to streamline FEMA administrative procedures, increase funding flexibility for applicants, and ultimately make the overall federal response more cost effective and efficient.
Impact – Hurricane Sandy Becomes a “Superstorm”
When Hurricane Sandy formed in October 2012, it grew to become the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with a wind field spanning 1,150 miles. It slammed several Caribbean islands, including Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas before making its infamous “left hook,” turning to the northwest on a direct path to the mid-Atlantic coastline.
GIF demonstrating Hurrican Sandy’s “left hook,” which directed the storm toward the eastern US.
Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the US on October 29, 2012, near Atlantic City, NJ as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of approximately 80 mph. Sandy brought a 14-foot storm surge to the New Jersey and New York coastline and devastated Mid-Atlantic coastal communities with a combination of high winds, storm surge, and driving rain.
Also contributing to Sandy’s destruction were the sheer size of the storm at landfall, a full moon on the night of October 29th, and Sandy’s proximity to densely populated New York City. As it was late in the hurricane season when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the US, it formed an unusual hybrid of hurricane and winter storm, with some meteorologists referring to it as a “Frankenstorm” before eventually coining the name “Superstorm” Sandy.
Throughout the Northeast, rainfall records were broken, and 3 feet of snow fell in portions of the Appalachian Mountains. Flooding in New York City impacted nearly 90,000 structures and forced the closure of the Midtown tunnel and New York Stock Exchange. More than 200 sewage treatment plants and 80+ municipal water facilities in New England were damaged beyond repair. More than 8.5 million people from North Carolina to the Canadian border and as far west as Illinois – including more than 2 million residents of New York City – lost power. In the United States alone, Sandy claimed more than 70 lives, damaged more than 650,000 homes, and caused an estimated $70 billion in damages.
One of the biggest lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy is a warning for the future. That even Category 1 storms can cause a 14-foot storm surge and devastate coastal communities up and down the eastern seaboard. Sandy destroyed traditionally relied-upon flood protections across more than 30,000 miles of North American coastline, and revealed vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure throughout the Northeast.
Reaction – Congress Passes SRIA
Following Superstorm Sandy, Congress sought to accelerate FEMA’s delivery of post-disaster recovery funds and streamline FEMA’s application processes.
Enacted January 29, 2013, SRIA was a component of the 2013 House Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, in which Congress dedicated more than $60 billion following Hurricane Sandy to various federal agencies.
“Division A” of the Appropriations Act detailed the additional federal expenditures and “Division B” contains the provisions of SRIA.
Broadly, Congress’ objectives with SRIA were to a) reduce costs to the federal government, b) increase flexibility for state and local partners, and c) expedite the delivery of post-disaster recovery funds. To accomplish this, Congress:
Created new “alternative procedures” programs designed to simplify Public Assistance (PA) grants for both debris management and permanent repairs.
Introduced a new Nationwide Dispute Resolution (Arbitration) pilot program.
Required FEMA to re-evaluate the threshold for small projects.
Obligated FEMA to publish PA grants and mission assignments in excess of $1 million on the web within 24 hours.
Mandated FEMA to prepare monthly Congressional reports regarding Disaster Relief Fund spending.
Required FEMA to develop a national strategy to reduce future disaster losses.
Empowered chief executives of Tribal Nations to request a major disaster or emergency declaration separately from the state.
Created a new Lease and Repair Program.
Established an expedited Unified Environmental and Historic Preservation review process to prevent compliance reviews from causing undue delays on processing and obligating PA projects.
Damaged building showing aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
Impact – SRIA Yields Mixed Results
Although Congress had lofty goals with SRIA, its results have been mixed. Most analysis has shown that FEMA has neither reduced costs, nor increased flexibility, nor materially expedited the delivery of post-disaster grant funds. Meanwhile, Congress is currently deliberating even further reforms to FEMA, which might include establishing FEMA as an independent cabinet-level agency and/or wholesale changes to the manner in which FEMA delivers the Public Assistance program, FEMA’s primary source of post-disaster grant funding for State and local governments.
If you’re interested in reading the full text of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act, it can be found here.
Additional Resources
Sandy and Its Impacts (PDF, Source: NYC.gov)
“Dawn to Dusk” (Source: NASA) Hurricane Sandy, October 28, 2013. Super-Rapid-Scan images (one geostationary orbit photo each minute) stitched into 30s time-lapse video.