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Swift Current

Available Funding

Eligible Projects

Definitions

Cost Share

How to Apply

Resources

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current (Swift Current) effort provides funding to mitigate buildings insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) after a major disaster declaration following a flood-related disaster event to reduce risk against future flood damage.

The full funding opportunity announcement is available on Grants.gov.

Available Funding

Funds will be made available to states, territories, and federally recognized tribal governments that receive a major disaster declaration following a flood-related disaster event and meet all other eligibility criteria. Swift Current is not available to all property owners and aims to provide flood mitigation funding for buildings with a current contract for flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and a history of repetitive or substantial damage from flooding.

The total funding available for Fiscal Year 2023 is $300 million, which was made possible through an infusion of dollars by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), better known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The figure below provides an illustrative overview of the key steps in the Swift Current process.

Graphic
Swift Current Process overview depicts the steps and timeframes involved in determining eligibility, applying for, and final mitigation of projects for Swift Current.
View the full-sized version of this Swift Current Process infographic.

Eligible Projects

Swift Current funds Individual Flood Mitigation Projects for Flood Mitigation Assistance and/or NFIP-defined Repetitive Loss (RL), Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL), or properties deemed Substantially Damaged after the applicant’s disaster declaration incident period start date.

Eligible Individual Flood Mitigation Projects include the following project types which may be referenced in the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide:

  • Property acquisition and structure demolition/relocation
  • Structure elevations
  • Dry floodproofing of historic residential structures or non-residential structures
  • Non-structural retrofitting of existing structures and facilities
  • Mitigation reconstruction
  • Structural retrofitting of existing structures

Definitions

Structures included in Individual Flood Mitigation Project subapplications must be Flood Mitigation Assistance and/or NFIP-defined Severe Repetitive Loss properties, Repetitive Loss properties, or properties that were deemed Substantially Damaged after the applicant’s disaster declaration incident period start date.

  • Buildings identified in the subapplication must have a National Flood Insurance Program policy in effect at the application start date and must maintain it through completion of the flood hazard mitigation activity and for the life of the structure.
  • Buildings included in Individual Flood Mitigation Project subapplications must be Flood Mitigation Assistance and/or NFIP-defined Severe Repetitive Loss properties, Repetitive Loss properties, or properties that were deemed Substantially Damaged after the applicant’s disaster declaration incident period start date. Please see Table 2 below for applicable definitions.

Eligible Property TypeDefinition
Flood Mitigation Assistance defined Severe Repetitive LossHas four or more separate NFIP claims payments have been made with the amount of each claim exceeding $5,000, and with the cumulative amount of claims payments exceeding $20,000;

or

Has at least two separate NFIP claim payments have been made with the cumulative amount of such claims exceeding the market value of the insured structure.
Flood Mitigation Assistance defined Repetitive LossHave incurred flood-related damage on two occasions, in which the cost of the repair, on the average, equaled or exceeded 25 percent of the market value of the structure at the time of each such flood event, and at the time of the second incidence of flood-related damage, the contract for flood insurance contains increased cost of compliance coverage.
National Flood Insurance Program defined Severe Repetitive LossHas four or more separate National Flood Insurance Program claim payments of more than $5,000 each (including building and contents payments);

or

two or more separate claim payments (building payments only) where the total of the payments exceeds the current market value of the property.
National Flood Insurance Program defined Repetitive LossA structure covered by a contract for flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program that has incurred flood-related damage on two occasions during a 10-year period, each resulting in at least a $1,000 claim payment.
Substantial DamageSubstantial damage applies to a structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area – or floodplain – for which the total cost of repairs is 50% or more of the structure’s market value before the disaster occurred, regardless of the cause of damage.

This percentage rule can vary among jurisdictions. The decision about a structure being substantially damaged is made at the local community generally by a building-department official or floodplain manager. For communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, substantial damage determinations generally are required by local floodplain-management ordinances. These rules must be in place for residents of a community to purchase flood insurance.

Cost Share

Cost share is required for most subapplications funded under Swift Current. FEMA may contribute the federal cost share funding as indicated below. These are the definitions for Flood Mitigation Assistance and National Flood Insurance Program insured properties.

Graphic
This is a graphic of FMA defined SRL Federal Cost Share, RL Federal Cost Share, BIL Federal Cost Share, and General Federal Cost Share
View the full-sized version of this Individual Flood Mitigation Projects infographic.

How to Apply

Key Dates

The Swift Current availability window refers to when FEMA will accept applications and differs from the application submission deadline. Applications can be submitted for major disaster declarations between June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024.

  • Availability window start date: Nov. 15, 2023
  • Disaster Declaration Deadline: May 31, 2024; the application submission deadline will vary depending on the activation criteria met and disaster declaration date. Refer to Table 1 for additional information.
  • The eligibility period refers to the time that the applicant may submit subapplications to Swift Current. The eligibility period start date will vary by applicant. Refer to Table 1 for more information.

Upon Swift Current activation, the application deadline date will be provided to the applicant. All applications must be received by the deadline. Subapplicants should consult with their applicant agency to confirm subapplication deadlines.

Submit Using the Mitigation eGrants System

All eligible applicants must submit their FY 2023 Swift Current grant applications to FEMA using the Mitigation eGrants System.

If you need help with Mitigation eGrants, reach out to:

FEMA will distribute funding on a rolling basis as eligible applicants submit applications until the total available funding amount of $300 million is exhausted.

Additional Resources

The National Flood Insurance Program helps reduce the impacts of flooding through risk mapping, mitigation, and administering flood insurance. Through careful data sharing with communities the NFIP enables local community planners, officials, and administrators to develop hazard mitigation plans and updates; effectively manage their floodplains; submit grant applications and more. FEMA provides publicly available data online. For sensitive data, there is an established protocol to follow in order to receive them; it dictates who is allowed to receive the data.

Receiving sensitive data requires that a legal data sharing agreement be drafted to ensure proper and secure processing and handling of the data. The aim is a 10-day turnaround time from FEMA’s receipt of the data request to the delivery of data.

There are two types of data sharing agreements: Routine Use Letters (RULs) and Information Sharing Access Agreements (ISAAs).

  • ISAAs last for three years and can be used for multiple ongoing data requests.
  • RULs are for a one-time request only. A completed data request form may be sent to a FEMA Regional Flood Insurance Liaison or Specialist.

General questions about Swift Current can be directed to your State Hazard Mitigation Officer or FEMA regional office.

Swift Current Program Support Materials and Webinar Recording

Property Elevation and Acquisition Job Aids

Substantial Damage Determinations

Benefit-Cost Analysis - Severe Repetitive Loss and Repetitive Loss Pre-Calculated Benefits:

Contact Lists