ORLANDO, Fla. – The City of Palm Bay will receive a FEMA grant of $2,052,539 to acquire 13 flood-prone homes and convert the properties to green space.
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will assist the city in reducing damage from flooding in the future. The homes will be demolished and the properties will be deed-restricted to ensure they remain green space.
The HMGP is an important source of federal disaster assistance. Funding from the program may become available following the president’s declaration of a major disaster, with a goal of helping strengthen communities by improving buildings, facilities and infrastructure that people use every day. A 2018 report by 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, the 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, the 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.