97.110 Severe Loss Repetitive Program
(SRL)
FEDERAL AGENCY:
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
AUTHORIZATION:
National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended by
the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004,
Public Law 108-264.
OBJECTIVES:
To assist States and local governments in supporting
actions that reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to
residential properties insured under the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP) that meet the definition of severe repetitive loss
property, and to reduce losses to the National Flood Insurance Fund
(NFIF) by funding projects that result in the greatest savings to the
NFIF in the shortest time period.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants.
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
States, Territories, local and
Federally - recognized Indian tribal governments may apply for SRL
funding to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to
residential properties insured under the NFIP that meet severe
repetitive loss property eligibility criteria. Eligible activities
under this program include: acquisition and relocation of at-risk
structures and the conversion of property to open space; elevation of
existing structures to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) or an ABFE
Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) or higher (for the SRL program
Mitigation Reconstruction is only permitted when traditional elevation
cannot be implemented); minor physical localized flood control projects;
and dry-flood proofing (historic properties only).
Applicant Eligibility:
State emergency management agencies or a
similar office (i.e., the office that has primary emergency management
or floodplain management responsibility) of the State; District of
Columbia; U.S. Virgin Islands; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; American
Samoa; Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; Guam; and
Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. Specific information on
sub-applicant eligibility, and application procedures for
Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments, is provided in the SRL
program guidance.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
States, Territories, local governments,
Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments, and homeowners.
Credentials/Documentation:
Federally-recognized Indian tribal
governments and local governments that are sub-applicants must be
participating in the NFIP. Properties included in project
sub-applications must meet the SRL property definition. SRL properties
are residential properties that are covered under an NFIP flood
insurance policy and: (a) that have at least 4 NFIP claim payments
(including building and contents) over $5,000 each, and the cumulative
amount of such claims payments exceeds $20,000; or (b) for which at
least two separate claims payments (building payments only) have been
made with the cumulative amount of the building portion of such claims
exceeding the market value of the building. For both scenarios (a) and
(b), at least two of the referenced claims must have occurred within any
ten-year period, and must be greater than 10 days apart.
Preapplication Coordination:
DHS FEMA will identify the location
of severe repetitive loss properties and furnish that information to the
relevant States, Territories, local governments, and
Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. FEMA will also notify
owners of severe repetitive loss properties that may be eligible to
receive SRL or other FEMA mitigation assistance; that their NFIP
insurance premium rates may increase upon declining offers of SRL
Program mitigation assistance only (such insurance consequences do not
apply to other FEMA mitigation assistance programs); and, that they have
the right to appeal such premium rate increases. Further, States,
Territories, local governments, and Federally-recognized Indian tribal
governments will, to the best extent practicable, consult with SRL
property owners to select the most appropriate mitigation activity,
prior to submitting SRL grant applications. To be eligible for a SRL
grant, Applicants must have a FEMA approved State Mitigation Plan
(Standard or Enhanced) or Tribal Mitigation Plan in compliance with 44
CFR Part 201 by the application deadline. In addition, Sub-applicants
must have a FEMA approved local mitigation plan in accordance with 44
CFR Part 201, by the application deadline that, at a minimum, addresses
flood hazards to be eligible to receive project grant funding under the
SRL program. Establishment of this program through regulation is
categorically excluded from the requirement of the preparation of an
environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement in
accordance with 44 CFR 10.8(d)(2)(ii). This NEPA category excludes the
preparation, revision, and adoption of regulations where the rule
regulates to actions that qualify for other NEPA categorical exclusions
in 44 CFR 10.8(d)(2). This program is eligible for coverage under E.O.
12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant
should consult the office or officials designated as the single point of
contact in his or her State for more information on the process the
State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State
has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure:
Application deadline and other information
are contained in the announcement or application /program guidance.
Award Procedure:
Applications or plans are reviewed by DHS program
and administrative staff. Any issues or concerns noted in the
application will be negotiated with the successful applicant prior to
the award being issued.
Deadlines:
Refer to announcement or application guidance for
further information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:
Refer to program guidance
document.
Appeals:
Property owners who refuse an SRL mitigation offer may
become subject to increases of their NFIP insurance premium rates, and
have the right to appeal such rate increases. Refer to SRL program
guidance or the administering program office for further information.
Renewals:
None.
Formula and Matching Requirements:
DHS FEMA will allocate the
available SRL funds to states each fiscal year based upon the percentage
of the total number of severe repetitive loss properties located within
the State. Ten percent of the total funds made available in any fiscal
year will be available to States, Territories, and Federally-recognized
Indian tribal governments that have at least one SRL property and that
receive little or no allocation. NFIP severe repetitive loss property
records are maintained and updated monthly by the FEMA Bureau and
Statistical Agent. NFIP severe repetitive loss property records are
protected by the Privacy Act, and are only made available to the States,
Territories, local governments, and Indian tribal governments eligible
to apply for SRL grants. DHS FEMA may contribute up to 75 percent of
the eligible costs of activities that target SRL properties. The SRL
program offers up to 90 percent Federal cost share funding for projects
approved in States, Territories, and Federally-recognized Indian Tribal
Plans that include a strategy for mitigating existing and future SRL
properties. For further information refer to DHS FEMA SRL and Flood
Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program regulations at 44 CFR Part 79, the
SRL program guidance, or contact the administering program office.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:
Refer to program guidance.
Awards are subject to the Cash Management Improvement Act for payment
and/or reimbursement of expenditures.
Reports:
Grantees are required to submit quarterly financial and
performance reports. Quarterly "Progress Reports" must include the
progress of each sub-grant award. Reports are due 30 days after the end
of each quarter: January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30. Final
financial and performance reports are due 90 days after the expiration
or termination of grant award.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133
(Revised, June 27, 2003), Audits of States, local governments, and
Nonprofit Organizations, nonfederal entities that expend financial
assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards (or receive property,
or a combination of both, within the fiscal year) will have a single or
a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from
Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular
A-133. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency, submitted
through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, not later than nine months
after the end of the grantee's fiscal year.
Records:
Grant records shall be retained for a period of three
years from the day the recipient submits it final expenditure report. If
any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other action involving the
records has been started before the expiration of the three-year period,
the records must be retained until completion of the action and
resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the
regular three-year period, whichever is later. Grant records include
financial and program/progress reports, support documents, statistical
records, and other documents that support the activity and/or
expenditure of the recipient or sub-recipient under the award.
Account Identification:
70-4236-0-3-453.
Obligations:
FY 07 $0, FY 08 est $40,000,000; and FY 09 est
$40,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance:
Will be identified in
solicitation/program guidance.
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
None.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
The SRL and FMA Program
Regulations at 44 CFR Part 79; the DHS FEMA Real Property Acquisition
Regulations at 44 CFR Part 80, and the SRL program guidance. Other
guidelines include OMB Circular No. A-102, Grants and Cooperative
Agreements with State and local Governments, and OMB Circular No. A-87,
Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments. This
program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, Intergovernmental
Review of Federal Programs. Local Governments and Federally-recognized
Indian Tribal (if applying through the State) sub-applicants should
consult the office or officials designated as the single point of
contact in his or her state for more information on the process that the
State requires to be followed in applying for assistance.
Regional or Local Office:
See Appendix IV of the Catalog for
listing of addresses of the DHS FEMA Regional Offices.
Headquarters Office:
Lloyd Hake, Chief, Program Implementation
Section, Risk Reduction Branch, Mitigation Division, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472. Telephone:
(202) 646-3428 or E-mail: Lloyd.Hake@dhs.gov.
Web Site Address:
http://www.fema.gov/government/mitigation.shtm.
RELATED PROGRAMS:
97.029, Flood Mitigation Assistance; 97.092,
Repetitive Flood Claims; 97.047, Pre-Disaster Mitigation; 97.039, Hazard
Mitigation Grant.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Acquisition and relocation of
structures from hazard-prove areas.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Refer to the program guidance
for information on criteria for selecting proposals.