Orlando, Fla. – The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will receive a $6,116,666 grant to fund a Watershed Master Planning Initiative under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
This project will increase the presence and integration of Watershed Master Plans (WMP) into floodplain management and flood mitigation in communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This is the second payment for the project. The State of Florida was previously awarded a $975,000 grant. Additional funds will be announced for the initiative and FEMA grants for the project are expected to total $20 million by the end of this year.
Implementation of this project will promote flood resiliency throughout Florida. FDEM will coordinate with multiple partners to implement Watershed Master Plans throughout the state.
Funding for this HMGP project is authorized under Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Act.
An important source of federal disaster assistance comes from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. HMGP funds may become available following the president’s declaration of a major disaster. HMGP dollars 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 up to 15 percent of the total disaster grants awarded by FEMA. 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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