HUD provides a variety of disaster resources listed below. We also partner with Federal and state agencies to help implement disaster recovery assistance. Under the National Response Framework the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) offer initial recovery assistance.

Mortgage Assistance from HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

For a Presidentially declared disaster, FHA activates a mortgagee letter making a variety of insured loan programs available for disaster victims and putting into play use of special loan servicing and underwriting requirements. Find out more.

Office of Housing Counseling

To help you prepare and respond to disasters in your community, HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling has developed a Disaster Recovery and Emergency Preparedness Toolkit. Resources include:

• Emergency Preparedness Guide for Housing Counseling Agencies: This guide will provide useful and easy-to-implement information to assist housing counseling agencies successfully prepare for any type of disaster or emergency. Developing an Emergency Preparedness Plan is one of the most important strategic decisions you will make as a housing counseling agency.
• Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources for Housing Counseling Agencies: This document was originally developed for housing counseling agencies. However, it contains a comprehensive list of website resources to help anyone prepare their community for a disaster. The web links provided are best reviewed ahead of an actual disaster since Internet access is not guaranteed during emergency situations.
• Housing Counseling Disaster Program Guide: Housing counselors play a critical role in helping communities impacted by disaster connect families to key housing resources. This universal document provides a model for HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to expand and support their long-term disaster recovery services as part of their grantee action plan in their respective jurisdictions receiving Federal disaster recovery funds.

Assistance from Ginnie Mae

Ginnie Mae encourages all single-family, manufactured housing, and multifamily Ginnie Mae issuers offering forbearance to provide forbearance to mortgagors in areas receiving a Presidential disaster declaration. In certain instances, Ginnie Mae will assist issuers in their efforts to offer forbearance to mortgagors with pass-through payments. Visit Ginnie Mae's website

Office of Multifamily Housing

Having the right plan in place before a disaster will ensure an effective, coordinated response. The Ready to Respond: Disaster Staffing Toolkit is a guide developed by Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. in partnership with HUD, to help affordable multifamily housing organizations develop comprehensive disaster staffing plans to protect buildings, engage residents and continue business operations in the event of a disaster. The Ready to Respond: Disaster Staffing Toolkit is based on the Incident Command System (ICS), a planning framework used by federal, state and local first responders to help with command, control and coordination of disaster response.

By using the toolkit to develop a disaster staffing plan, your housing organization will be able to:

• Minimize building damage and ensure quick return to service
• Support the safety, preparedness and recovery of residents
• Maintain key business operations throughout a disaster

Community Development and Housing Assistance

Metropolitan cities, urban counties, and states may request that awarding of annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds be expedited or that program year start dates be moved up. For activities in a disaster area, they may also request modification of some program requirements to facilitate disaster assistance. CDBG Disaster Recovery Program.

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Notice for Housing Providers and Survivors in Natural Disaster Areas

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) provides guidance on how to easily comply with the Fair Housing Act, how to avoid housing discrimination and how to seek help.

• Fair Housing Information for Housing Providers
• Fair Housing Information for Survivors

Policy Development & Research

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) offers Disaster Response Toolkit (guidance on how to rehabilitate flooded homes, design & construction practices that promote moisture resistance & durability, preparedness for future disasters, and other relevant content) to aid in the recovery process. The reports in this Kit are available in print by calling the HUD USER Clearinghouse at (800) 245-2691, option 1 or can be downloaded for free from HUD USER. For a limited time, printed copies of the reports are available to those in storm-affected areas free of charge.