FEMA APPROVES $1.1 MILLION GRANT FOR PANAMA CITY BEACH UTILITY
MITIGATION PROJECT
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20211101/fema-approves-11-million-grant-panama-city-beach-utility-mitigation-project]


Release Date: 
November 1, 2021 

PENSACOLA, Fla. – FEMA has approved a grant of $1,102,418 for the
city of Panama City Beach to study a proposal to convert existing
overhead utility and communication lines to underground facilities
along Front Beach Road between Lullwater Drive and Crane Street.
FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will fund the study,
which will include surveying, engineering, design, planning and the
bidding for the suggested work.

Once approved, the project would include the planned removal of
sections of the existing roadway or sidewalk, the digging of an
underground trench, installation of the electrical and communication
lines, restoring the local power connections and re-installing the
roadway and sidewalk.

When completed, the project will provide long-term protection for the
underground lines and, in turn, the community from the direct impact
of severe storm events, including flooding.

The HMGP is an important source of federal disaster assistance.
Program funding may become available after the president declares a
major disaster, with a goal of strengthening communities by improving
buildings and critical infrastructure. A 2018 report by the National
Institute of Building Sciences found that one dollar spent on hazard
mitigation saves 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 advanced 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 grant money spent by FEMA in the Hurricane Michael
disaster. From this amount, the HMGP reimburses the state up to 75
percent of eligible costs for hazard mitigation projects. The
remaining amount comes from other sources such as state and local
assets and a combination of cash and in-kind sources.