As communities across the country face the devastating impacts of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters, CAI continues to lead and support efforts to ensure that homeowners in community associations have access to critical federal disaster assistance.
We are pleased to announce the introduction of bipartisan legislation in Congress. H.R. 8409 – Post-Disaster Protection Act would extend the timeline to appeal relief decisions by the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Stafford Act from 60 to 90 days. The extension ensures homeowners flexibility during a crisis.
Currently, applicants for FEMA disaster relief have 60 days to appeal denials of applications, while FEMA has 90 days to review those appeals. This bill will create parity and promote disaster relief fairness by increasing the time for homeowners to appeal. This bill also will extend the timeline for state and local governments to appeal FEMA disaster relief denials from 60 to 90 days. This bill will allow associations extended time to appeal FEMA relief denials during a crisis.
CAI joins the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities in submitting a letter of support of H.R. 8409 to leadership on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. CAI thanks Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost for his leadership in introducing this important legislation to help homeowners affected by a disaster have a fair opportunity to access federal assistance.
CAI has a longstanding history of advocating for equity and fairness in FEMA disaster relief practices. Most recently during the 119th Congress, CAI spearheaded and supported the reintroduction of the Disaster Assistance Fairness Act (H.R. 834/SB. 352) by Rep. David Rouzer and Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina and supported the introduction of the FEMA Act of 2025 (H.R. 4669) by Missouri Rep. Sam Graves. These bills seek to accomplish CAI’s longstanding goal of reforming FEMA rules to use federal disaster funds to remove debris from private roads and waterways.
HOW THIS LEGISLATION HELPS YOUR COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
H.R. 834 and S. 352 make two critical changes to the existing law that will help millions of homeowners in community associations.
Debris Removal for Community Associations
Currently, homeowners associations with private roads are ineligible for FEMA-funded debris removal. This places an enormous financial burden on individual homeowners to clean up storm damage in their communities. The proposed legislation allows local municipalities to remove debris from private communities using FEMA funding, saving homeowners millions of dollars and helping communities recover faster.
FEMA Assistance for Essential Common Elements
Under existing legislation, condominiums and housing cooperatives are often excluded from FEMA’s Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households Program. This means that critical shared infrastructure like roofs, exterior walls, heating and cooling systems, elevators, stairwells, plumbing, and electrical systems are not covered after a disaster, leaving homeowners to shoulder the costs alone. The new legislation would ensure these essential common elements are eligible for federal disaster relief.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Elected officials need to hear from constituents about why this legislation is vital. Contact your members of Congress today and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 834 and S. 352.
Additionally, we encourage community association boards and managers to work with their local governments to pass an ordinance allowing municipal authorities to remove disaster-related debris from private community associations. A model ordinance exists, and an excellent example can be found in the Town of Hilton Head Island, S.C. By partnering with local governments, communities can ensure they have the support they need when disaster strikes.
Learn more about CAI’s disaster relief initiatives in Washington D.C., here: Advocacy for Disaster Recovery | CAI Support for Resilient Communities | Community Associations Institute
