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Hazard Mitigation Assistance

Hazard Mitigation Assistance

Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) plays an important role in the implementation of hazard mitigation projects and planning.  Hazard Mitigation is any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to people and property from natural disasters.  Hazard Mitigation planning is a process used by state, tribal, and local governments to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters and develop mitigation strategies to reduce or eliminate long term risks. Examples of Hazard Mitigation projects funded by FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs may include, but are not limited to floodplain acquisitions, elevations, implementation of storm water system improvements, and construction of safe rooms.

The HMA program is comprised of three grant programs:

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

  • The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments so they can rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future natural disaster losses in their communities. It is authorized by Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act). HMGP funding is authorized with a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration. A governor or tribal chief executive may request HMGP funding throughout the state, tribe or territory when submitting a disaster declaration. The amount of funding made available to the applicant is generally 15% of the total federal assistance amount provided for recovery from the presidentially declared disaster and is determined by the FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan. Refer to the “Eligible Applicants and Subapplicants” section for more information.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities

  • For Fiscal Year 2020, FEMA implemented the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) competitive grant program which supports state, local, tribal and territorial government as they implement hazard mitigation projects to reduce the risks from disasters and natural hazards. BRIC replaced FEMA’s legacy Pre-Disaster Mitigation program for new pre-disaster awards. This new grant is authorized by Section 203 of the Stafford Act, as amended by Section 1234, National Public Infrastructure Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation, of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) of 2018.

    The BRIC program aims to categorically shift the federal focus away from reactive disaster spending and toward proactive investment in community resilience. FEMA funds BRIC with a 6% set-aside from federal postdisaster grant funds, such as public assistance and Individuals Assistance grants. As a competitive grant program, applicants must apply on a yearly basis.

    BRIC encourages public infrastructure projects, projects incorporating nature-based solutions, and the adoption and enforcement of modern building codes. In addition, this includes projects that mitigate the risk to one or more Community Lifelines that enable continuous operation of critical government and business functions that are essential for human health and safety or economic security.

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)

  • Flood Mitigation Assistant (FMA) grants provide funding to states, local communities, tribes and territories to mitigate flood-damaged properties with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is authorized by Section 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. FEMA distributes funds annually to develop community or individual flood mitigation projects. These grants address community flood risk for the purpose of reducing National Flood Insurance Program flood claim payments and to mitigate the risk of flooding to individual flood insured structures. In addition, funding is also used for technical assistance and flood hazard mitigation planning.

    Typically, federal funding, called federal cost share, is 75% of the eligible activity costs. However, FEMA may contribute up to 100% of the federal cost share for NFIP-insured properties meeting the criteria of being severely or repetitively damaged. The program is a competitive grant program and applicants must apply on a yearly basis.

HMA Useful Links

Guidance and Resources

 

Procurement

 

Grant Forms