Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Recovery is a federal grant program administered by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Its purpose is to fund projects that assist in long-term disaster recovery and mitigate the impact of future disasters.
Disaster overview
From November 5 through December 2, 2021, Washington experienced intense and sustained storms caused by a series of atmospheric river events originating from the Gulf of Alaska. Over these 27 days, the National Weather Service issued hundreds of weather warnings about periods of high winds, intense rainfall, flooding, and landslides throughout western Washington. Residences, businesses, and infrastructure throughout Clallam, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties were significantly impacted. Because it sustained the most severe and extensive damage, HUD identified Whatcom County as the most impacted and distressed (MID) area.
On December 17, 2021, Govenor Jay Inslee requested a major disaster declaration due to flooding and mudslides during the period of November 13-15, 2021, for counties in northwest Washington and three federally recognized Indian tribes.
Funding authority
In May 2022, HUD announced it was awarding Washington State Department of Commerce $30,823,000 is funding to support long-term recovery efforts subsequent to the 2021 Western Washington Storm and Floods (2021 WWSF). CDBG-DR funds were allocated in response to FEMA DR-4635 through the publication of Federal Register Vol. 87, No. 100, May 24, 2022 (87 FR 31636) and Federal Register, Vol. 88, No. 11, January 18, 2023 (88 FR 3198), made available through Public Laws 117-43 and 117-180.
Proposed use of funds
Commerce is the lead agency response for administering $30,823,000 in CDBG-DR funds allocated for disaster recovery. Due to limited funding and the unmet needs of the disaster-effected areas, Commerce will focus all CDBG-DR funds in programs serving recovery needs in Whatcom County, the most impacted and distressed (MID) area. These programs will include:
- Housing
- Infrastructure
- Resilience Planning
- Mitigation
- Administration
For more details on Commerce’s CDBG-DR programs, please refer to the resources listed below.
For more information, see HUD Exchange- CDBG-DR Programs and HUD CDBG-DR Laws, Regulations, and Federal Register Notices.
Resources
Commerce’s final CDBG-DR action plan is pending approval by HUD. It will be posted here for a public comment period (state date TBD). Once it is approved, the final draft will be posted here along with any subsequent amendments.
The following documents are approved by HUD and currently in effect
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q4 2024 (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q3 2024 (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q2 2024 (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q1 2024 (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q4 2023 (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q3 2023 (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Quarterly Performance Report – Q2 2023 (PDF)
This section contains policy documents that govern CDBG-DR grant administration. More Documents will be additional program-specific policies and procedures are established.
- Citizen Participation Policy (PDF)
- CDBG-DR Grant Administration Manual (PDF) – Duplication of Benefits, Procurement, Website, Financial Management and Auditing. Complaints, Appeals, Preventing and Reporting Fraud, Waste & Abuse.
All contracts executed under CDBG-DR programs, as well as the status of all procurement solicitations issued by CDBG-DR programs, are listed in the links below. See CDBG-DR Grant Administration Manual under Policies and Procedures for Commerce’s CDBG-DR procurement policy.
Should an electronic scanned copy of the original executed document be needed, please send your request to us to CDBGDisasterRecovery@commerce.wa.gov.
Through this Notice, HUD seeks to:
- Advance equitable distribution of assistance, including planning for targeted assistance to residents of underserved communities, members of protected classes under fair housing and civil rights laws, and vulnerable populations who have been historically marginalized and can be adversely affected by disasters that often exacerbate existing inequities
- Improve long-term community resilience by:
- Fully integrating resilience planning and hazard mitigation activities into disaster recovery to reduce the impacts of climate change and future disasters
- Encourage green recovery efforts (focusing on healthier water and air, and effective debris and waste management)
- Address environmental justice concerns associated with disaster recovery efforts
- Address recovery needs for accessible, resilient, and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income persons
Source: 6326-N-01 Allocations for CDBG-DR & Consolidated Waivers and Alternatives (PDF)