How MRPDC Helps with the Virginia Disaster Assistance Fund

Updated

MRPDC serves as the regional partner for the Virginia Disaster Assistance Fund (VDAF), a $50 million state program administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). If your home, business, farm, or community infrastructure in the Mount Rogers region was destroyed or heavily damaged by a natural disaster, MRPDC's role is to point you to the program information and the staff who can help you apply. The starting point is the VDAF assistance link on mrpdc.org, which redirects you to DHCD's program information and the staff available to assist applicants.

Who the fund is for

According to MRPDC's site, VDAF provides financial relief to Virginians whose homes, businesses, farms, or community infrastructure were destroyed or heavily damaged by natural disaster. The program is state-administered, not a local grant pool, so eligibility rules and award decisions sit with DHCD rather than MRPDC.

What MRPDC actually does

MRPDC's published role is narrow and practical:

  • Directs you to the program. The site's program alert links out to DHCD's VDAF information and the staff who can assist you in applying.
  • Coordinates on recovery projects. Separately from individual VDAF applications, MRPDC is partnering with state agencies to identify and develop projects addressing unmet disaster recovery needs across the region.

That second effort focuses on bridge and culvert repairs, streambank stabilization, environmental protection measures, site restoration, and disaster debris removal. MRPDC works with local governments and communities to identify eligible projects, document damages, and pursue available funding for long-term recovery and resilience. This is a project-development track for public and community infrastructure, distinct from an individual homeowner's or business owner's VDAF application.

How to start an application

  1. Go to mrpdc.org and find the Virginia Disaster Assistance Fund program alert on the site.
  2. Use the "Click HERE for assistance" link, which redirects you to DHCD's VDAF program information and the staff who can help you apply.
  3. Work with the DHCD staff listed there on your application. MRPDC's site does not publish VDAF eligibility criteria, deadlines, award amounts, or required documents, so confirm those details with DHCD before assembling paperwork.

What to expect: the redirect is the handoff point. MRPDC's page does not state that it reviews or decides individual applications, so treat DHCD as the decision-maker and MRPDC as the regional signpost.

Common sticking points

  • Assuming MRPDC approves applications. The site describes a referral and coordination role, not an adjudication role.
  • Confusing the two tracks. Individual relief (VDAF) and regional recovery projects (bridge, culvert, streambank, debris work) are separate efforts with different processes.
  • Looking for local eligibility rules. None are published on mrpdc.org; the program details live with DHCD.

Where MRPDC fits in the region

MRPDC was established in July 1969 under the Virginia Regional Cooperation Act and is one of 21 planning district commissions in the Commonwealth. It serves Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, Washington, and Wythe Counties and the Cities of Bristol and Galax, providing technical assistance in economic and community development, public management and administration, and cartography. Disaster recovery coordination is one expression of that community development mission — the commission helps member localities plan for growth and make the most of every regional dollar, including recovery dollars.