Mother Jones
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This story first appeared on the Atlantic Cities website and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
If Superstorm Sandy taught us anything, it’s that we need housing that can withstand natural disasters. But resiliency efforts often focus on detached, single-family houses and ignore larger multifamily dwellings.
Single-family owners are eligible for up to $31,900 in FEMA grants for post-Sandy repairs. No such program exists for owners of multifamily buildings. Even in co-op and condominium buildings, unit-owners cannot use FEMA grants to repair common areas or utility systems. FEMA’s single-family focus is obvious in its suggestions for flood-resilient housing, which come in the form of documents like “Avoiding Hurricane Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners.” These pamphlets include ideas like elevating structures, anchoring backyard storage sheds, and reinforcing garage doors, which apply to a very limited segment of the housing stock. New Jersey also recently announced grants for property owners to elevate their homes. This will do little for the owners and residents of multifamily buildings, which cannot feasibly be raised.
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