FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
Typical Recurring Actions Resulting from Flood, Earthquake, Fire, Rain, and Wind Disasters in 
California
Federal Emergency Management Agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has been incorporated into the 
Department of Homeland Security, administers federal programs for response to and recovery 
from disasters, and programs to reduce damage and risk from future disasters.  Disasters can 
result from natural events, such as floods, earthquakes, wildland fires, rains, and windstorms; or 
human-caused events, such as fires and explosions. 

The majority of typical recurring actions proposed for funding through FEMA, and for which an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) is required under the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), can be grouped by type of action or location.  Therefore, FEMA has described and 
evaluated actions that it typically funds in California for natural events such as earthquakes, fires, 
rain, and windstorms, or human-caused events, such as fires and explosions, through a 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA).  FEMA proposed to use the PEA for actions 
that are typically funded through the Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Pre-
Disaster Mitigation, Fire Management Assistance Grant, Assistance for Individuals and 
Households, and Flood Mitigation Assistance programs, and mapping produced under the 
National Flood Insurance Program.  FEMA has prepared this PEA to streamline compliance with 
NEPA and to expedite the approval of grants, which would allow communities in California to 
more quickly recover from the effects of disasters and to take measures to reduce anticipated 
effects of future disasters. 

FEMA may apply the PEA to applicable actions throughout California.  For actions with impacts 
not described in the PEA, or for action-specific considerations that require additional analysis, 
FEMA would prepare a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA), that tiers from the 
PEA.  The PEA, and SEAs as appropriate, will provide the required NEPA clearance.  They will 
also provide, along with appropriate consultations, a means for FEMA to address compliance 
with other Federal environmental laws and regulations, including the Endangered Species Act 
and National Historic Preservation Act.  The PEA is intended for actions that are relatively minor 
in scale; FEMA would continue to conduct full Environmental Assessments for major actions. 

This PEA applies to all previous and future Presidentially declared disasters in California and 
supersedes two PEAs that FEMA had previously published for California: the "Final 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Typical Recurring Actions Resulting from Flood 
Disasters in California", dated April 16, 1998 and the "Final Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment for Typical Recurring Actions Resulting from Fire Disasters in California", dated 
September 11, 1998. 

Based upon the information contained in the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for 
Typical Recurring Actions Resulting from Flood, Earthquake, Fire, Rain, and Wind Disasters in 
California as proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (January 2004), the 
potential impacts resulting from the typical recurring actions, and in accordance with FEMA's 
regulations in 44 CFR Part 10 (Environmental Considerations) and Executive Orders 11988 
(Floodplain Management), 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and 12898 (Environmental Justice), 
the following is concluded:

A Finding of No Significant Impact.  Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will 
not be prepared based on the fact that there will be no long-term adverse impacts on the natural 
environment in California resulting from actions taken by FEMA in response to and recovery 
from disasters, and actions taken by FEMA to reduce damage and risk from future disasters.  
This Finding of No Significant Impact is based upon proposed actions fitting one of the project  
types described in the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment and meeting all conditions 
prescribed for that particular project type.  In those instances where an action does not conform 
to a described project type or to all the conditions, a Supplemental Environmental Assessment 
and corresponding Finding of No Significant Impact would be prepared to address the 
differences.


(Signed December 19, 2003)
____________________________________________
Alessandro Amaglio			Date
Region IX Environmental Officer