Hope Housing Act of 2006

The Hope Housing Act of 2006 was designed to speed up the delivery of emergency housing for people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It would have authorized the Director of FEMA to place manufactured homes in flood-prone areas, such as floodplains or coastal high-hazard zones, without requiring the homes to be elevated or meeting standard flood mitigation regulations.

For citizens, this meant that displaced families could receive temporary housing more quickly in areas where strict federal flood rules might otherwise have prevented placement. However, the bill also required that residents be notified in writing of the potential flooding risks and prohibited individuals from suing the federal government for damages if those homes were subsequently flooded.