ORLANDO, Fla. – Putnam County will receive a nearly $1.5 million federal grant to fund designing a new and improved drainage system near St. John’s Ave. in Palatka to prevent flooding during heavy rain events.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) has approved $1,467,134 to help design, engineer, permit and put out to bid the project, which is expected to include an improved culvert system and a new stormwater retention pond.
The project includes a large 4-foot by 8-foot box culvert that would replace the existing ditch collection system, and concrete pipes that would feed stormwater into the proposed new pond. The project will be designed to provide protection against a 100-year rain event.
The funding does not authorize any construction activities but is intended to produce a package of plans with permits that could be reviewed for possible additional funding.
Funding for this HMGP project is authorized under Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Act, the 1988 law that governs FEMA’s disaster-related activities.
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is an important source of federal disaster assistance. HMGP funds may become available following the president’s declaration of a major disaster, and help strengthen communities by improving buildings, facilities and infrastructure that people use every day. A 2018 report from the National Institute of Building Sciences found that one dollar spent on hazard mitigation will save more than six dollars of recovery and rebuilding costs.
Generally, HMGP may provide a state, tribe or territory with additional grants up to 15 percent of the total disaster grants awarded by FEMA for a federally-declared disaster. States such as Florida that meet higher mitigation planning criteria may qualify for a higher percentage.
Florida has a FEMA-approved Enhanced Mitigation Plan, making the state eligible for HMGP funding not to exceed 20 percent of the estimated total amount of money spent by FEMA on disaster grants in the Hurricane Irma disaster. From this amount, HMGP reimburses the state up to 75 percent of eligible costs for mitigation projects. The remaining amount comes from other sources such as state and local assets and a combination of cash and in-kind sources.
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FEMA’s mission: Helping people before, during, and after disasters.