Financial Assistance For Implementing Mitigation Measures
Release Date: March 22, 2005
Release Number: 1539-409
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- The unprecedented losses caused by last season’s hurricanes underscore the importance of rebuilding in safer and stronger ways. Mitigation is the term used to describe taking action to reduce loss of life and property from future hazards and it is a priority of the agencies that aid in disaster recovery, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Emergency Management (DEM).
Homeowners, business owners, local governments and state agencies can undertake measures to reduce damages from flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and other hazards. FEMA and other federal agencies have a variety of financial assistance programs to help states and communities implement mitigation measures. Homeowners interested in rebuilding in a safer way should contact the local mitigation strategies coordinator or Emergency Management Office for their county, city or town.
“As we plan and prepare for the response and recovery for the next hurricane season, we are also planning and developing mitigation projects, some of which will be paid for by funds made available under the 2004 hurricane disaster declarations,” said DEM Director Craig Fugate. “We work with local governments to tell us what their priorities are in mitigating future damages in their areas and select the most cost-effective and appropriate projects for funding.”
Grants awarded under three different programs can help communities fund mitigation projects: the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program. The DCA/DEM administers the mitigation grant programs in the state of Florida. FEMA funds up to 75 percent of the cost of the projects and the remaining amount is funded through other non-federal sources.
“With every disaster, we learn how to better prepare for the next one, and we have programs in place to fund projects at the local level that will implement the lessons learned from past disasters,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Bill Carwile. “Homes that were elevated after previous flooding avoided damages from storm surges from last fall’s hurricanes. We want those types of actions to continue so that more homes are elevated, more buildings are retrofitted for wind resistance and less recovery costs are incurred from the next disaster.”
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to states and communities for their use in conducting mitigation activities following a presidential declaration of a major disaster.
An amount equal to 7.5 percent of direct federal disaster assistance provided to the state, including monies spent on Individual Assistance, Public Assistance and Mission Assignments, will be made available to fund mitigation measures based on the state’s mitigation plan and its mitigation priorities. In Florida, HMGP grants have been used to fund wind retrofits, such as the installation of shutters and disaster impact glass, flood-proofing structures, elevating flood-prone structures and the acquisition and demolition of flood-prone structures.
The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA) provides grants to states and communities that participate and are in good standing in the National Flood Insurance Program. FMA grants are available to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes and other insurable property under the NFIP, including elevating flood-prone houses and acquiring badly damaged flood-prone houses.
The Pre-disaster Mitigation Program (PDM) provides technical and financial assistance to state and local governments for cost-effective pre-disaster hazard mitigation activities. The goal of the program is to help states and communities implement long-term pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation programs to reduce overall risk to people and structures, while also reducing the reliance on federal funding from actual disaster declarations.
The total PDM funds available nationwide is approximately $255 million for fiscal year 2005 and will be awarded on a competitive basis. Grants previously awarded to Florida entities funded wind retrofits and other mitigation measures for Broward County, the University of Miami and the cities of Plantation and North Lauderdale.
The U. S. Small Business Administration has mitigation funds available to approved borrowers who sustained damage to real property or owned leasehold improvements. To assist disaster victims with their long-term recovery needs, borrowers that have already been approved for a loan may request an increase of up to 20 percent of their approved physical loan amount to help fund mitigation measures. Mitigation funds can be used to fund a device or measure that protects against future damage from the same type of occurrence as the declared disaster. Borrowers requesting hazard mitigation funds are asked to submit a proposal that describes the mitigation measure to be installed along with a cost estimate of the project. Mitigation proposals should be mailed to the U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Area Office that processed their original loan request. For additional information about hazard mitigation, borrowers should call the SBA at 800-359-2227.
The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s state agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impacts. Visit www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief efforts.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 23-Mar-2005 08:53:01