How to track disaster spending in your community

When a disaster strikes, significant financial resources are allocated for cleaning up debris, repairs, and reconstruction efforts. Understanding where this funding goes and the criteria for prioritizing projects is crucial as recovery begins in affected communities.

Here, we present practical tips and resources to help you monitor disaster spending in your locality. Additionally, we include guiding questions aimed at local policymakers, governmental agencies, and community organizations.

How to Track Public Spending:

• Stay Engaged. Participate in your local city council, county commission, and school board meetings. When schools and municipal structures are damaged, local authorities will typically allocate funds for their repair and rebuilding. By attending these meetings and posing insightful questions, you can remain informed and advocate for prioritization of essential projects.
  • For instance, Southerly employed local residents in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to document meetings and analyze spending patterns post-Hurricane Laura.

• Review Contracts. Use information garnered from public meetings, as well as press releases from your state’s governor or your city’s mayor, to identify the companies contracted for cleanup or repairs.
  • A report from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting highlighted issues with a debris cleanup company accused of unethical practices during the 2022 floods, which the city of Louisville subsequently hired again for cleanup efforts.

• Know What Data to Seek. FEMA is mandated to deliver a report on its Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) by the fifth day of each month, detailing funding distributions. You can access these reports through this link. Furthermore, the OpenFEMA database publishes detailed applicant-level data following disasters, which can be pivotal for monitoring recovery funding, as illustrated by an Appalachian research group tracking housing reconstruction funding after the Kentucky floods. Find additional datasets from OpenFEMA here.

• Utilize Available Tools. Various policy research organizations actively track public disaster relief, providing user-friendly platforms to monitor financial flows. For instance, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace maintains the Disaster Dollar Database, which tracks significant federal funding sources for disaster recovery across the United States.

How to Track Private Spending:

• Identify Beneficiaries. Nonprofits are not required to disclose their funding partnerships in annual disclosures, complicating efforts to trace their spending. However, annual 1099 tax forms may provide insight into major contractors engaged in disaster recovery, such as food distributors or construction companies involved in rebuilding efforts.

• Investigate Board Members. Examine the boards of nonprofit organizations to map their members’ connections and political contributions. This can unveil influential relationships and networks that grant certain organizations access to key decision-makers.

• Utilize Public Fund Trackers. Many nonprofits receive public funding for conducting disaster relief operations. Utilize USAspending.gov to verify if organizations you’re interested in were recipients of those funds.

• Review Annual Reports. Most nonprofits produce annual reports that highlight significant projects, funding updates, and major donor contributions. However, these reports may take months to be compiled. In the meantime, check for press releases or blog entries on the organization’s website for timely information.

• Monitor Social Media. Nonprofits and businesses frequently use social media platforms to solicit donations, recruit volunteers, and showcase their recovery efforts following disasters. Keeping track of their posts can offer insights into how funds are allocated.

• Inquire Directly. Unlike public spending, private spending often falls outside the purview of transparency laws, making it harder to monitor. Should you remain uncertain about expenditure details, contacting an organization directly can yield necessary information. Attend public forums, like city hall gatherings, to pose your questions or consider reaching out via email or phone.