State Disaster Declarations and Grantee Websites

While HUD provides general guidelines for transparency, the specific requirement for grantees to create and maintain a public website displaying this information is typically outlined in the Federal Register notices or grant agreements issued for each CDBG-DR allocation.

Key Points:

1. Federal Register Notices: HUD publishes Federal Register notices for each CDBG-DR allocation, which include specific requirements for grantees. These notices often mandate that grantees create a dedicated website to share information about their CDBG-DR activities, including action plans, amendments, and other relevant documents.
2. Action Plans and Amendments: Grantees are required to develop and submit action plans detailing how they will use CDBG-DR funds. These plans, along with any amendments, must be made publicly available. HUD often requires grantees to post these documents on their websites and provide opportunities for public comment.
3. Public Transparency: HUD emphasizes the importance of transparency in the use of CDBG-DR funds. Grantees are typically required to maintain a public-facing website that includes:
   • Action plans and amendments
   • Notices of funding availability (NOFAs)
   • Public hearing announcements
   • Reports on grant activities and progress
   • Other relevant documents and updates
4. Grant Agreements: The specific requirements for maintaining a public website may also be detailed in the grant agreements between HUD and the state or local grantees. These agreements often include provisions for public reporting and transparency.

How to Find the Policy:

• HUD Exchange Website: The HUD Exchange is a central resource for CDBG-DR grantees and subrecipients. It provides guidance, tools, and templates for compliance with CDBG-DR requirements, including public transparency.
• Federal Register: Search the Federal Register for the specific CDBG-DR allocation notices related to your state or locality. These notices will outline the transparency and reporting requirements for grantees.
• Grantee Websites: Check the websites of state or local CDBG-DR grantees. They are required to post their action plans, amendments, and other relevant documents publicly.

If you are looking for a specific policy or requirement, it is best to refer to the Federal Register notice for the relevant CDBG-DR allocation or contact the HUD CDBG-DR program office for clarification.

Definition: The state, territory, or local government that receives a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery allocation from HUD and administers the grant under an approved action plan.

In Practice: The grantee publishes the action plan, the amendments, the allocation amounts, the program rules, and the applicant portal on its recovery website. The grantee is responsible for the program design, the eligibility determinations, and the appeal process for individual applicants.

Why It Matters: The grantee website is the only public record of the state's recovery program. Without it, households cannot verify the program rules, the deadlines, or the case status.

Definition: The public document that describes how a state or local grantee will use its HUD CDBG-DR allocation, including the needs assessment, the program design, the eligibility rules, and the funding categories.

In Practice: The action plan is published for public comment before HUD approval. After approval, any change to the action plan is published as an amendment, with its own public comment period, before it takes effect.

Why It Matters: The action plan and its amendments are the documents that a household, an oversight volunteer, or a journalist uses to verify what the state promised and what the state has delivered.

This page traces to recurring Gulf Coast storm and flood events where households could not locate their state's HUD CDBG-DR grantee website or the current FEMA declaration for their county. The pattern was consistent across jurisdictions: households that found the state grantee website early in recovery completed the application faster and with fewer disputes than households that learned about the program after the application window had closed.

During the 2026 reorganization the recovery team found that the state recovery links, the FEMA declaration links, and the assistance matrix were documented on separate pages, and households could not see the full federal and state record. The three were merged into this page, which carries the state directory, the federal search tools, and the assistance matrix in one place.

The method generalizes to any state or disaster because it depends on the public record that each grantee and each federal agency publishes. Any state or territory can be added to the directory, and any new declaration can be located through the FEMA tools on this page.

Disclaimer: This page consolidates public records from state grantee websites, FEMA declaration tools, and the assistance matrix for reference only. Links, program details, and declaration statuses may change or become out of date without notice. Always verify current information directly with the relevant state agency, HUD, or FEMA.