The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to investigate ways to speed up the provision of immediate, temporary and permanent shelter after disasters. To do so, it has been reaching out to involved parties to help inform their understanding of the issues and challenges in order to shape their recommendations.

NAHB has been assisting MIT and FEMA in recent years to identify the challenges of meeting housing needs after a disaster has struck and what steps are needed to proactively address them. Additional partners include code experts, industry groups, and federal and state stakeholders.

On Jan. 29-30, 2024, MIT hosted a roundtable, Scaling Disaster Housing Capacity, as a follow-up to a virtual discussion that was held in May. Seven NAHB members and three staff participated in the meeting to identify opportunities for increasing capacity to rapidly deploy housing solutions after disasters, as well as policy and operational constraints that limit the implementation of those solutions.

NAHB participants included:

• Geep Moore, Moore-Built Construction & Restoration, Elm Grove, LA
• Tim Shigley, Shigley Construction Company Inc, Wichita, KS
• Kenneth Estes, Estes Building & Remodeling, LLC, Saltillo, MS
• Robert Criner, Criner Remodeling, Newport News, VA
• Matt Belcher, Verda Solutions, St. Louis, MO
• Ken Semler, Impresa Modular, Martinsburg, WV 
• Harris Woodward, Finish Werks, Laurel, MD

These members specifically discussed remodeling/repair challenges with codes, FEMA’s 50% Rule, and financing and insurance issues, among others, while exploring increased the use of modular and panelized construction. Other participants included FEMA, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Habitat for Humanity, International Code Council (ICC), and several state codes and emergency management personnel.

An MIT report regarding this discussion is expected by spring 2024. NAHB previously worked with MIT on its systems-built housing report, “Disaster Housing Construction Challenges in America: Exploring the Role of Factory-Built Housing.”