The Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program is the primary federal mechanism for financing long-term housing recovery after major U.S. disasters, yet expenditures often lag years behind disaster events. This study examines how administrative processes influence CDBG-DR implementation following the 2017 disasters in Texas, Florida, and California. Using a comparative case study design, the analysis draws on state Action Plans, Action Plan Amendments, and longitudinal data on obligations and expenditures. The findings show that the three states relied heavily on repeated Action Plan Amendments, reflecting uncertainty in estimating recovery needs and evolving program requirements. While frequent amendments reflect uncertainty and evolving program requirements, their impact on implementation is context-dependent: when combined with early obligation strategies, they can support adaptive program delivery, whereas when associated with delayed planning, they may slow fund utilization. Analysis of obligation-expenditure alignment reveals meaningful variation in implementation efficiency: Texas and Florida achieved closer alignment through earlier obligations and incremental program adjustments, whereas California experienced persistent misalignment driven by delayed obligations and prolonged front-end planning. Overall, the results indicate that delays in the delivery of CDBG-DR assistance are systemic rather than exceptional. These findings indicate that delays in CDBG-DR implementation are driven by bottlenecks at multiple stages, including front-end uncertainty in unmet needs assessment and Action Plan approval, delayed or concentrated obligation strategies, and subgrantee-level financial and administrative constraints. Addressing these bottlenecks through earlier standardized guidance, phased obligation approaches, and improved disbursement mechanisms could significantly accelerate recovery outcomes.
Costa et al. (Fri,) studied this question.