FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA) 
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI) 
FINAL PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 
FOR HAZARD MITIGATION SAFE ROOM CONSTRUCTION 


BACKGROUND 

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, FEMA's 
regulations for implementing NEPA at 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 10, and the 
President's Council on Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations at 40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508, FEMA prepared a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) to 
evaluate the potential impacts to the human environment resulting from the construction of 
residential and non-residential (individual) safe rooms and community safe rooms that are 
proposed for funding under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and PreDisaster 
Mitigation (PDM) Program. Section 203 (PDM) and 404 (HMGP) ofthe Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, U.S.c. § 5121 et seq., authorize 
FEMA to provide funding to eligible applicants for eligible, feasible, and cost-effective 
activities that have the purpose of reducing or eliminating risks to life and property from 
hazards and their effects. One such activity is the construction and installation of safe rooms 
to protect populations from extreme wind events. The PEA is incorporated by reference into 
this FONSI. 

The PEA evaluated five alternatives: (1) Action; (2) Retrofit or Renovation of an 
or Proposed Facility (Type A: Existing Facilities; Type B: New Facilities or Significant 
Room to an Building and 
Stand-Alone in Previously Disturbed 


Finding ofNo Significant Impact 
PEA for Hazard Mitigation Safe Room Construction 
20f3 

CONDITIONS 

Actions under this PEA and FONSI must meet the following conditions. Failure to comply 
with these conditions would make the FONSI determination inapplicable for the project and 
could jeopardize the receipt of FEMA funding. 

1. 
Excavated soil and waste materials will be managed and disposed of in accordance 
with applicable local, state, and federal regulations. If contaminated materials are 
discovered during construction activities, the work will cease until the appropriate 
procedures and permits are implemented. 
2. 
The grantee and sub grantee will follow applicable mitigation measures as identified 
in Section 7 of the PEA to the maximum extent possible. 
3. 
Ifground disturbing activities occur during construction, applicant will monitor 
ground disturbance and if any potential archeological resources are discovered, will 
immediately cease construction in that area and notify the State and FEMA. 
4. 
The grantee and sub grantee must meet any project-specific conditions developed and 
agreed upon between FEMA and with environmental planning or historic preservation 
resource or regulatory agencies during consultation or coordination. 
5. 
This review does not address all federal, state and local requirements. Acceptance of 
federal funding requires recipient to comply with all federal, state and local laws. 
Failure to obtain all appropriate federal, state and local environmental permits and 
clearances may jeopardize federal funding. 
FINDING 


Finding of No Significant Impact 
PEA for Hazard Mitigation Safe Room Construction 
Page 3 of3 

Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be prepared. This FONSI is 
based upon proposed safe room projects fitting one of the project types described in the Final 
PEA and meeting all conditions prescribed for that particular project type. 

APPROVAL 


Deputy Federal Insurance and Mitigation 
Administrator, Mitigation