Fema Mitigation Grants Important For Recovery, Protection

LINCROFT, N.J. — FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides important assistance to local, state and tribal governments following a major disaster declaration, both speeding recovery and protecting life and property from future disasters.

With the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides funds to the state to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during recovery from a disaster.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant program can be used to fund projects to protect public or private property as long as the project fits within state and local government mitigation strategies. Funds are sent to the state for distribution.

Examples of projects include:

  • Acquiring and relocating structures from hazard-prone areas, such as the $29.5 million acquisition of flood-prone properties in Sayreville.
  • Retrofitting structures to protect them from floods, high winds, earthquakes or other natural hazards.
  • Constructing certain types of minor and localized flood control projects.
  • Constructing safe rooms inside schools or other buildings in tornado-prone areas.
  • Helping state, local or tribal governments develop mitigation plans.

Federal funding under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is made available at the request of a state’s governor following the declaration of a major disaster.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding is allocated using a sliding scale formula based on the percentage of funds spent on FEMA’s Public and Individual Assistance Programs for each declared major disaster.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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Fema Mitigation Grants Important For Recovery, Protection

Scotland County Added to Missouri Disaster Declaration

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Scotland County is now eligible for federal assistance from the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that occurred during the period of May 29, 2013, to June 10, 2013.

Scotland County joins the 27 previously declared Missouri counties eligible for FEMA Public Assistance, which may include assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.

The counties now designated for FEMA Public Assistance include: Barton, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Chariton, Clark, Howard, Iron, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Maries, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Osage, Perry, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Scotland, Stoddard, Sullivan, Texas, and Webster Counties.        

All counties in the State of Missouri are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Hazard Mitigation assistance may enable counties to implement measures to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property for natural hazards, before a disaster strikes.

For more information on the Missouri disaster declaration visit: fema.gov/disaster/4130.  

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Find regional updates from FEMA Region VII at www.twitter.com/femaregion7. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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Original source – 

Scotland County Added to Missouri Disaster Declaration

Sayreville, New Jersey—From Flood-Prone Neighborhood To Greenspace

TRENTON, N.J. — As recovery from Superstorm Sandy continues in New Jersey, one major improvement project is the conversion of a destroyed residential neighborhood in the Borough of Sayreville to a permanent greenspace.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $29 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding for the voluntary acquisition and demolition of approximately 129 residential properties in Sayreville. 

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management is managing the grant, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Blue Acres Program will implement the project and work directly with homeowners.

All of the homes in the project neighborhood are located in a National Flood Insurance Program Special Flood Hazard Area. This hazard designation indicates the structures are highly vulnerable to flooding. 

In addition, many of the homes are on the National Flood Insurance Program’s severe repetitive loss and repetitive loss list of residential structures with excessive flood loss.

Acquisition of these repetitive loss properties removes them from the risk of flooding and reduces the impact on the National Flood Insurance Program and on both Federal and State disaster assistance funding.

“By acquiring and removing these homes, FEMA is diminishing the borough’s vulnerability to natural disasters and removing residents from a potentially dangerous area,” said Gracia Szczech, FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer for New Jersey.

“This funding will go a long way to help the affected families move on with their lives.”

Once the homes are acquired and demolished, further construction will not be allowed on the properties.The land will be restricted to open space in perpetuity. Sayreville has accepted responsibility for all maintenance and upkeep of the land. 

The use of federal funds to purchase these properties allows families to relocate to safer areas.

Under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the state solicits project proposals from local jurisdictions then prioritizes the projects for approval by FEMA. 

The project grant was awarded and funded by FEMA.  The total project cost is $39,274,060, the Federal share $29,455,545. 

The remainder of the cost of the project will come from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acre/Blue Acre Program. 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration.

The grants help 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. 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is authorized under Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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Sayreville, New Jersey—From Flood-Prone Neighborhood To Greenspace

FEMA Awards More Than $8M for Water Pump Project in Galveston, TX

 

DENTON, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is awarding more than $8 million to the state of Texas for improvements to a potable water pump station in Galveston, Texas.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will pay 75 percent or $8,112,868 of the more than $10.8 million project.  

The water pump station, located on 59th Street in Galveston, will be demolished, replaced, elevated and hardened. The retrofit of this critical facility is designed to withstand a 500-year flood and extreme winds.

The federal share of the funds for the project come from the agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

HMGP provides grants to states and tribal and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures that 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.

Learn more about FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant program online at http://go.usa.gov/D6D. 

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6, the R6 Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/region-vi/region-6-preparedness and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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FEMA Awards More Than $8M for Water Pump Project in Galveston, TX

FEMA Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement Addressing Hazardous Fire Risk Reduction Projects in East Bay Hills

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will today release a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on proposed hazardous fire risk reduction projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.  The DEIS is being published in the Federal Register and will be filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency later this week.  

The University of California, Berkeley (UCB), the City of Oakland, and the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) have submitted a total of four grant applications to FEMA, through the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), for federal financial assistance to implement hazardous fire risk reduction projects in the East Bay Hills of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline in Contra Costa County.

The funding sought in the four grant applications could be provided under FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).  If awarded, the funding would be used to implement hazardous risk reduction projects in the East Bay hills and in the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, bordering the San Francisco Bay, in the City of Richmond.  FEMA will use the draft EIS, along with input from the public and other agencies, and in conjunction with other relevant materials, to reach a final decision on the submitted applications.

The East Bay Hills and the vicinity of Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline have a hot and dry fall season, wind-conducive topography, flammable vegetation, dense development, and limited accessibility for firefighting. The area is subject to hot, dry winds that can drive a wildfire from the regional parks and other open space areas into residential areas. These factors combine to create a substantial regional fire danger with most of the undeveloped areas in the East Bay Hills in a very severe fire hazard zone. 

Hazardous fire risk reduction refers to long-term, cost-effective actions that reduce the risk of a hazardous wildfire, such as the massively destructive Oakland Hills fire of 1991.  Historically, 15 major wildfires in the East Bay Hills have burned a total of almost 9,000 acres, destroyed approximately 4,000 homes, and killed 26 people. One of the fires, the 1923 Berkeley Fire, destroyed more than 550 homes in a few hours. A fire in 1970 consumed more than 200 acres and burned 37 homes. The 1991 Tunnel Fire killed 25 people, destroyed more than 3,000 homes, and did an estimated $1.5 billion in damage.

Fire risk may be lowered by creating a fire break and reducing the amount of flammable trees, shrubs, and debris that can act as fuel during a wildfire.  The proposed vegetation management work would primarily focus on reducing highly flammable, non-native invasive species.

Based on the wildfire hazard characteristics of the East Bay Hills and the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, FEMA has identified that a need exists to reduce hazardous fire risk to people and structures in these areas.  FEMA is proposing to address this need by providing financial assistance to the sub-applicants — UCB, EBRPD, and Cal EMA, through the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

FEMA will host three public meetings on Tuesday, May 14th and Saturday May 18th.  The meetings will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on May 14th in the Richard C. Trudeau Center’s Main Room, 11500 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA  94619 and on Saturday, May 18th, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in the Claremont Middle School’s Gymnasium, 5750 College Avenue, Oakland, CA  94618.

The upcoming public meetings will provide information on the draft EIS, which describes the proposed East Bay Hills hazardous fire risk reduction projects and potential environmental impacts on the natural, physical, and human environments in the project.  The purpose of the meetings is to provide information on the draft EIS, to receive oral and written comments, and to allow the public, local businesses, associations, stakeholders, affected governmental agencies, and interested parties to speak directly with federal, state and local representatives regarding the draft EIS. 

Written comments must be submitted or postmarked by midnight on June 17, 2013. Oral and written comments may be made at the public meetings. Written comments may also be submitted through the project website at http://ebheis.cdmims.com, via email at EBH-EIS-FEMA-RIX@fema.dhs.gov, or via mail to P.O. Box 72379, Oakland, CA  94612-8579. 

The draft EIS will be made available on the project website at http://ebheis.cdmims.com and at the following libraries: Oakland Main Library, Berkeley Main Library, San Leandro Main Library, Richmond Main Library, and Oakland Rockridge Library.

 MEDIA CONTACT:  Mary Simms, (510) 627-7006, mary.simms@fema.dhs.gov

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FEMA Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement Addressing Hazardous Fire Risk Reduction Projects in East Bay Hills

FEMA Extends Deadline For Irene-Related Mitigation Grants

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. – The state and Vermont municipalities and non-profits seeking federal grants for projects to make their communities more resilient in future disasters will have more time to apply for these funds.

Officials with the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today that the deadline for submitting Hazard Mitigation Grant Program applications related to Tropical Storm Irene to FEMA has been extended to September 1, 2013. The state will establish its own deadlines for municipalities and other eligible applicants in order to meet FEMA’s deadline.

The HMGP program provides grant funds in addition to the disaster aid given to individuals and state or local governments after a federally-declared disaster for projects designed to reduce the risks to life and property in future disasters.

“This is an important deadline extension,” said Dave Rapaport, Vermont’s Irene Recovery Officer. “The huge size of this disaster means that we’re receiving more funding through this program than we’ve had the capacity to use before time ran out. The additional time will mean that we’ll be able to avoid leaving money on the table and formulate more eligible projects to prevent damage from future storms.”

The amount of money available is a percentage – 15 percent – of the total disaster aid provided by FEMA, and the program is administered by the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Only state, municipal, or tribal governments and certain non-profits can apply and are responsible for a 25-percent match.

Projects can include flood-proofing structures or making them resistant to hurricanes or tornadoes, or buying out flood-prone properties as Vermont has chosen to do.

“FEMA has already obligated about $13 million in HMGP funds to Vermont, and there could be as much as $21 million more coming,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mark Landry, the head of FEMA’s Vermont operations.

FEMA had already granted Vermont two extensions of three months each from the normal one-year deadline, Landry said, and utilized a little-known provision of the Stafford Act – the law named after former Vermont Senator Robert Stafford that helped create FEMA – to give the state another six months.

An HMGP application can be downloaded from DEMHS’s website at http://vem.vermont.gov/mitigation, or interested parties may contact the State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Ray Doherty, at 800-347-0488 or ray.doherty@state.vt.us for an application or assistance in applying for funds. He will be providing additional detailed guidance for applicants shortly.

HMGP funds are awarded on a competitive basis and all applications are reviewed and selected by the state mitigation project selection committee, then subject to approval by FEMA.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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FEMA Extends Deadline For Irene-Related Mitigation Grants

Talk to FEMA Mitigation Experts at Spring Home Show in Hartford This Weekend

Talk to FEMA Mitigation Experts at Spring Home Show in Hartford This Weekend

Main Content

Release date:

February 28, 2013

Release Number:

072

 

WINDSOR, Conn. — Hazard Mitigation experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be on hand at the Spring Home Show this weekend at the XL Center in downtown Hartford.

FEMA’s experts can be found at booth No. 624 at the show, which runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at the XL Center, located at 1 Civic Center Plaza.

Homeowners and builders can get answers to questions about how to undertake home repairs in a more disaster-resistant or resilient way. FEMA’s Mitigation specialists will have several free and accessible publications to offer, and can provide tips on topics including:

  •  Retrofitting utilities;
  •  Flood-resistant building materials;
  •  Retrofitting residential structures;
  •  Basic emergency management and disaster preparedness.

The Spring Home Show will feature more than 800 vendors.

Last Updated:

February 28, 2013 – 14:17

State or Region:

Connecticut

Related Disaster:

Connecticut Hurricane Sandy

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Talk to FEMA Mitigation Experts at Spring Home Show in Hartford This Weekend

FEMA Awards $1.1 Million Grant to the City of Madison: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds will be used to construct a Tornado Safe Room

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $1,176,158 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to the city of Madison, Wis., for the construction of a safe room at the Highland Manor Mobile Home Park.

“The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce the risk of loss of life and property,” said Andrew Velasquez III, regional administrator, FEMA Region V.  “The construction of this safe room will protect the lives of vulnerable citizens by providing a secure location to seek shelter from tornados and other high wind events.”

The Highland Manor Mobile Home Park has experienced numerous powerful storms in recent years.  This safe room will provide a shelter for 806 residents during a severe weather event.  The structure has been designed to accommodate the special needs of the residents, providing space for five wheelchair occupants.  The shelter will have the capability to be unlocked for use by the either the onsite manager or remotely by the City of Madison Parks Division.  To assure maximum use of the safe room, the Madison Fire Department will conduct an education campaign, including emergency drills, within the mobile home park.

“This is an important project that we believe can help save lives during severe weather,” said Brian Satula, administrator of Wisconsin Emergency Management.  “This is the second safe room at a mobile home park in Dane County for which we have provided hazard mitigation funding.”

HMGP provides grants to state and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures.  Through HMGP, FEMA will pay $1,176,158 or 75 percent of the project’s total cost.  Wisconsin Emergency Management and the city of Madison will both contribute 12.5 percent of the funds, or $196,026 each. 

“This has been a successful collaboration between the City of Madison, the property owners, the State of Wisconsin and the federal government,” said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. “The safety of our residents is a number one concern, and this building will provide a safe shelter during Wisconsin storms.” 

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only.  FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA Contact: Cassie Ringsdorf, (312) 408-4455

Original article: 

FEMA Awards $1.1 Million Grant to the City of Madison: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds will be used to construct a Tornado Safe Room

Resolve To Rebuild Stronger, Safer, Smarter

NEW YORK – Most of us make New Year’s resolutions to look better, feel better or reach a long-term goal.

This year resolve to rebuild stronger, safer and smarter after Hurricane Sandy to save lives and property when the next weather disaster strikes.

Hazard mitigation is building smart, strong and safe to prevent future damage from severe weather. Smart building includes mitigating damage against floods, strong winds and even tornadoes.

Always contact a local building official before undertaking rebuilding, renovating or retrofitting to be sure your plans meet local and state government requirements. You also need the proper permits from your local municipality to avoid future problems.

Such simple mitigation measures as elevating electrical and heating systems and anchoring fuel storage tanks can provide a windfall of protection against severe weather. 

Mitigation can also include landscaping. For instance, sea oats and other grasses can provide soil stability against storm surge. Ask your landscaper what indigenous plants withstand severe weather and protect property. Professional tree pruning can save not only the tree but can minimize the damage caused by a tree in severe weather. 

Flooding

Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to your property.

The average annual U.S. flood losses in the past 10 years (2002-2011) were more than $2.9 billion.

Rebuilding smartly in a flood-prone area means preventing future damages from flooding such as elevating your structure above the base flood elevation or higher. Flood hazard maps show different zones of hazard which determines policy premiums. The lower the degree of risk, the lower the flood insurance premium.

By elevating your home above that potential flood elevation, you not only reduce the risk of flooding, you save on the cost of flood insurance. The FEMA’s NFIP policy can cover structures and personal property. You don’t have to live in a flood-prone area to buy FEMA’s flood insurance policy which is sold by most insurance agents.

To be eligible to buy FEMA’s flood insurance your community must participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Check the Community Status Book to see if your community is already an NFIP partner. (http://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program/national-flood-insurance-program-community-status-book)

Wind

Wind will quickly damage vulnerable homes and buildings. The roof is most susceptible to wind. The type of roof is the first factor in limiting damage.

Whether with new construction or retrofitting an existing roof, build to ensure the connections between the roof and walls are strong enough to resist the “uplift” effect of high winds. When the roof lifts off it may collapse back down on the house.

Getting down to the foundation, many homes are built on concrete pads to which they are only slightly connected. Severe winds pull the walls right out of the foundation. To resist high winds, structures must be firmly connected to foundations.

Mitigation Dollars at Work

For New York damages caused by Hurricane Sandy, the U. S. Small Business Administration has provided $357 million to help homeowners, businesses and private non-profit organizations rebuild their properties damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Some funds have also been allocated for the mitigation of similar damages during future events.

More information about Resolving to Be Ready and Rebuilding Strong and Smart are available online:

  • Listo America –Ready.Gov

http://www.ready.gov/translations/spanish/america/beinformed/index.html

  • FEMA also has videos on YouTube: “What is Mitigation?”           

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=057ZkeoFyc4

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/SandyNY, www.twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

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Resolve To Rebuild Stronger, Safer, Smarter

FEMA Awards $1.8 Million for Community Safe Room in Mission, Texas

DENTON, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $1.8 million to the state of Texas for construction of a community safe room in the city of Mission in Hidalgo County, Texas.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will pay 75 percent, or $1.8 million, of the $2.4 million total for the project, which is being built under the Texas Safe Shelter Initiative.

The concrete dome shaped safe room will also serve as multi-purpose community center in partnership with the LaJoya Independent School District. It will be 20,000 square feet in size and will provide protection from storms and tornadoes for the people of Hidalgo County, including those with access and functional needs. 

The federal share of the funds for the project come from the agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). HMGP provides grants to states, and tribal and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures that 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.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. 

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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FEMA Awards $1.8 Million for Community Safe Room in Mission, Texas

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