Hazard Mitigation Program
The mission of the Hazard Mitigation Section is to create safer communities by reducing loss of life and property; enable individuals to recover more rapidly from floods and other disasters; and lessen the financial impact of future disasters.
- Recover & Rebuild
- Ensure Your Safety
- Find Family Members
- Get Food and Water
- Find a Place to Stay
- Return Home Safely
- File an Insurance Claim
- Apply for Assistance
- Cope with Stress
- Clean Up the Damage
- Rebuild Smarter and Stronger
- Protect Your Property
- How You Can Help
About the Hazard Mitigation Program
Creating safer communities by reducing loss of life and property; enable individuals to recover more rapidly from floods and other disasters; and lessen the financial impact of disasters on the Nation.
- Analyze Risk - Determining the impact of natural hazards that lead to effective strategies for reducing risk.
- Reduce Risk - Reducing or eliminating long-term risk from hazards on the existing built environment and future construction.
- Insure for Flood Risk - Reducing the impact of floods on the Nation by providing affordable flood insurance.
- Alternative Arrangements
- Program and Process Information
- Projects
- Environmental Compliance
- Public Outreach
- Stakeholders and Partners
- Questions and Answers
- Resources and Tools
- Links
- Section Contents
- Recovery Projects in my Parish
Infrastructure Projects
About the Public Assistance Program
The FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program isd based on statutes, regulations and policies. The statute, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), is the underlying document that authorizes the program. Regulations published in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR) Part 206 implement and interpret the statute. Policies are written to apply the statute and regulations to specific situations. These documents govern the eligibility criteria through which FEMA provides funds for Public Assistance. These criteria have the following four components: Eligible Applicants, Eligible Costs, Eligible Facilities, and Eligible Work. Alternate and improved projects may be applied for under certain criteria, as explained below.
The applicant is the basis for eligibility. The applicant must be eligible for the facility to be eligible. The facility must be eligible for the work to be eligible. The work must be eligible for the cost to be eligible. Using these guidelines, FEMA determines whether the various components are eligible for disaster assistance. Additional information on the FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program may be found in the publication FEMA 321, Public Assistance Policy Digest.
Eligible Applicants
Four types of entities are eligible applicants for Public Assistance. If an entity meets the requirements of one of the types, the applicant may apply for FEMA disaster assistance.
The types of eligible applicants are:
1. State government agencies, such as:
- Departments of transportation
- Environmental resources agencies
- State parks agencies
- Water quality commissions
2. Local governments, including:
- Towns, cities, parishes
- Municipalities, townships
- Local public authorities
- Government councils
- Regional and interstate government entities
- Agencies or instrumentalities of local governments
- Special districts or regional authorities organized under state law
- Rural or unincorporated communities represented by the state or apolitical subdivision of the state
- School districts
3. Private nonprofit organizations or institutions that own or operate facilities that are open to the public and that provide certain services otherwise performed by a government agency. Eligible facilities are limited to:
- Educational
- Emergency
- Medical
- Utilities
- Custodial care
- Irrigation organizations
- Other essential governmental services not falling into one of the categories described above, including community centers, homeless shelters, libraries, museums, rehabilitation centers, senior citizen centers, shelter workshops, zoos, and health and safety service facilities
4. Federally recognized Indian tribes or authorized tribal organizations and Alaskan Native village organizations. This does not include Alaska Native Corporations, which are owned by private individuals.
All eligible applicants, except Indian tribal governments that have been designated as grantees, must submit their requests for assistance through the state.
Eligible Costs
Not all costs incurred by an eligible applicant are eligible for Public Assistance funding. Eligible costs are costs that:
- Are reasonable and necessary to accomplish the eligible work
- Comply with federal, state, and local requirements for procurement
- Do not include (or are reduced by) insurance proceeds, salvage values, and other credits
The eligible cost criteria apply to all direct costs, including salaries, wages, fringe benefits, materials, equipment, and contracts awarded for eligible work. In addition to these direct costs, an applicant will receive an administrative allowance.
Eligible Facilities (Projects)
Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP)
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
- Interactive Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps by parish
- For general information about flood insurance
- To view new Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs)
Continuing Education and Outreach
- Best Practices (Learn how Gulf Coast residents protected their homes from Katrina)
- Find out how to build safer
Louisiana Resources
- Louisiana Mapping Call Center
- Louisiana Coastal Mapping Project (LaMP)
- Louisiana Floodplain Management
- FEMA Web site on Mapping
- www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/index.shtm
- LSU Ag Center
Mississippi Resources
Last Modified: Friday, 20-Jun-2008 13:16:58 EDT