Homeland Security Announces Mitigation Finalist In Illinois
$47 Million in Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants Slated Nationally
Release Date: June 2, 2006
Release Number: R5-06-007
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- R. David Paulison, director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that FEMA has selected a DeKalb County, Illinois, mitigation plan as a finalist in its Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program national competition.
“Mitigation saves our nation $4 for every dollar spent,” said Paulison. “This program encourages local leaders across the nation to look ahead and plan against what could be catastrophic events. These mitigation activities in Illinois show that the state and local communities are working together with FEMA and other partners to make mitigation happen,” Paulison said.
The PDM program provides funding for mitigation plans and the implementation of cost-effective projects, such as buyouts of flood-prone buildings, construction of safe rooms, elevations of homes located in the floodplain or making structures more earthquake resistant, prior to disaster events. Funding these plans and projects reduces overall risks to the population and structures, while also reducing reliance on funding from actual disaster declarations. The program was authorized by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and was first funded by President George W. Bush in his fiscal year 2003 budget.
“Mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency preparedness and management,” noted Paulison. “Funding these plans and projects reduces risks to lives and property. By making our communities safer in the first place, we make great strides toward reducing the need for federal post-disaster recovery funds.”
| Planning Project | Federal Share | Total |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County , Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan | $ 65,000 | $ 86,700 |
All funding is subject to completion of required pre-award activities such as verification of non-federal matching funds, environmental reviews and other related contingencies. Each state applicant will receive notification of their application status, and finalists will immediately begin work completing the pre-award activities.
“Our national team faced an extraordinary challenge in picking out the best projects from all the applicants,” said David Maurstad, director of FEMA’s Mitigation Division. “While many projects met all the necessary criteria, we worked to choose the best projects for the amount of funds available. These projects really are the cream of the crop and show how seriously the nation, the states and applicants take mitigation activities.”
The 58 activities chosen in the 2006 national grant competition will split a total of $47 million for plans and projects. Most projects will be eligible for a 75 percent federal share with a 25 percent non-federal match, but small, impoverished communities may be eligible for up to a 90 percent federal cost-share.
FEMA received 190 applications for the 2006 competition. A team of experts from federal, state, territorial, local and tribal governments evaluated all eligible applications and based their determinations on a wide range of criteria such as the technical feasibility of the proposed project, the project’s cost-effectiveness, management and staffing of personnel to implement the project, hazard and risk factors, and benefits to the community.
“There are some very bright people with some very creative ideas on the landscape who are all working very hard to mitigate the effects of disasters,” Maurstad said. “While we were able to fund the absolute best projects, there were many other terrific projects which we could not fund, but which we hope will compete again in the future.”
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 13-Jun-2006 09:35:52