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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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February
2004
Volume 6
- Number 1 |
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HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM UPDATE By Tom Ruffini
The Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is
responsible for implementing hazard mitigation programs.
FEMA currently has three mitigation grant
programs: the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program, the Hazard
Mitigation
Grant Program (HMGP) and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM). Authorized under Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, the HMGP provides grants to States and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. HMGP funding is only available to applicants that reside within a presidentially declared disaster area. HMGP
funds may be used for projects that will reduce or eliminate losses
from future
disasters. Projects must provide a long-term solution to a problem, and
a
project's potential savings must be more than the cost of
implementation.
Grants may be used to protect either public or private property or to
purchase
property that has been subjected to, or is in danger of, repetitive
damage. The amount of funding available for the HMGP under a particular disaster declaration is limited. The program may provide a State with up to 7.5 percent of the total grant resources allotted for award by FEMA. States that meet higher mitigation planning criteria may qualify for 20 percent under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. FEMA can fund up to 75% of the eligible costs of each project and the State or grantee must provide a 25% match. Since the reorganization of FEMA into DHS there have been significant changes and proposals made to the current HMGP. The program, which used to provide a grantee up to 15 percent of the total disaster grants awarded by FEMA, now only offers 7.5 percent as noted in the previous paragraph. Also notable, in preparation of the FY03 budget FEMA itself proposed to Congress to replace the HMGP entirely with the PDM competitive grant program. Congress opted to maintain the HMGP and allow for a $25M pilot test of the new approach. Currently, FEMA supports both programs. However, the proposed FY04 budget contained a large increase in funds for the PDM program, which may be a sign of changes to come. The PDM program provides technical and financial assistance to States and local governments for cost-effective pre-disaster hazard mitigation activities that complement a comprehensive mitigation program, as opposed to the HMGP that is designed to provide assistance for implementing mitigation programs in areas that have already suffered from a disaster. Resources available to assist state and local mitigation personnel with the HMGP include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Desk Reference, their State Hazard Mitigation Officer, and their nearest regional FEMA office. Additional resources and information can be found on FEMA’s website, see link below. Resources
for
this article include: http://www.fema.gov http://www.fema.gov/fima
http://www.fema.gov/fima/mitgrant/shtm http://www.fema.gov/fima/pdm.shtm http://www.omb.gov |