Bladen County government agencies and the local towns have the opportunity to apply for grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for various projects designed to reduce or eliminate flood risks. The FEMA announced today that the application period for more than $250 million in grants is now open. Eligible applicants including state, local, tribal and territorial governments may apply for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grants through 3 p.m. on Nov. 14, 2017, at https://portal.fema.gov.
“These types of grants are critically important to the well-being of communities all over the country, especially when it comes to reducing future disaster cost,” said FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division Director Kayed Lakhia. “We need to invest now in protecting our homes and families, and help make neighborhoods, cities and towns safer places to live for everyone.”
Flood Mitigation Assistance grants are available to implement measures to reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to structures insured by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). For fiscal 2017, $160 million is available, including $70 million for community flood mitigation activities that address flooding on a neighborhood level, such as floodwater diversion and localized flood-control measures. The remainder of funds will be used for mitigating planning, technical assistance and mitigating Severe Repetitive Loss and Repetitive Loss structures, which include elevation, acquisition, and relocation projects.
Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants are awarded for all-hazard mitigation planning and projects, such as the construction of community and residential safe rooms for tornados, and wind retrofits, which are enhancements made to strengthen the roof, walls and doors of structures to minimize damage caused by high winds. For fiscal 2017, $90 million is available, including $10 million for federally-recognized tribes. States, territories and the District of Columbia may apply for the statutory allocation of up to $575,000 federal share. The remainder of funds will be awarded on a competitive basis with an emphasis on mitigation activities that complement the post-disaster funding available under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the flood mitigation funding from the FMA program.
For more information on the FMA and PDM grant programs, please visit www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.
About Author
