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A joint investigative series by Oklahoma Watch and KGOU Radio/The Oklahoma Tornado Project on how federal and state disaster aid is being spent in the wake of the violent tornadoes and storms in May 2013.

Auditing The Storm: HUD Funds Trickle Slowly Into Oklahoma Disaster Areas

Joe Wertz
/
StateImpact Oklahoma

In the year since a series of severe storms devastated Central Oklahoma, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmenthas awarded nearly $146 million to the city of Moore and the state to help with recovery. But so far, only a fraction of that has been spent, and spending the money has turned out to be harder than you’d think. 

Before we get started, here’s a quick primer on how the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, distributes aid. The money comes in the form of Community Development Block Grants, which the federal government uses to fund affordable housing, revitalize struggling neighborhoods, and – in this case – pay for disaster-stricken communities to get back on their feet.

Vaughn Clark at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce says working within the program’s confines can be complicated.

“There are a lot of federal rules. It's not like Red Cross or it's not like a Department of Human Services program that can come out and make an immediate impact. This is money that's for usually public infrastructure-type projects,” Clark said.

Given federal requirements, it’s not always easy money to spend, says Jared Jakubowski, who works as a grants coordinator for the City of Moore.

“It's a challenge, and in the regulations, 50% of the money has to be spent in what HUD classifies as a low-mod area, and we have one block group in the tornado area that meets that qualification.”

Jakubowski is referring to neighborhoods with primarily low and moderate income households, defined by HUD asless than $32,000 a year for a family of four in the Oklahoma City area. Problem is, tornadoes don’t just hit those areas, and there are plenty of wealthier folks who also need help following a severe storm.

It will take some creative juggling of aid money for Jakubowski to meet the 50% requirement. That’s part of the reason that months after it received its funding, Moore still hasn’t been able to break ground on a single project.

“Planning for almost half a city in disaster area is a huge task, and, we are slowly getting there,” Jakubowski said.

Another reason much of the funding has yet to be spent is because grantees are required to turn to FEMA and other sources first.

“When you look at our money, our money is the gap at the back end,” said Donna Wickes, who worked in HUD’s Oklahoma City Office last year. She maintains the delays in Moore and at the state level aren’t really delays at all.

“Our money cannot go in immediately at the front end because it's based on unmet need. After other money is spent to provide that initial upfront, we are the long-term recovery.”

Wickes insists that Moore and the state are on track, running their programs in a timely manner.

Even so, the process seems slow to Vaughn Clark at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, which has so far distributed just half of the first batch of funding it’s received. Clark knows it could be a long road ahead, and he’d like to pick up the pace. The second allocation allows them to fund projects in areas impacted by disasters dating back to 2011, qualifying 57 of the state's 77 counties.

“We have to do quite a bit in a little bit of time. I think it's going to be somewhat of a surprise to the people that can go back to 2011, 2012 and find out that there may be some assistance available to them, so I think it's going to take them some time to come and talk with us and find out are these types of projects that are needed out in their area eligible to be funded,” Clark said.

He says there are a lot of puzzle pieces to fit together relatively quickly. And if all the aid isn’t spent over the next five years, HUD’s disaster funding will expire.

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The Oklahoma Tornado Project is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism on a range of public-policy issues facing the state. For more Oklahoma Watch content, go to www.oklahomawatch.org.

Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism on a range of public-policy issues facing the state. For more Oklahoma Watch content, go to www.oklahomawatch.org.

As a community-supported news organization, KGOU relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond.Donate online, or by contacting our Membershipdepartment.

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