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Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

Letter of Intent Registration Period Closed
FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR: ---Communities to Develop and Update Hazard Mitigation Plans

---Communities and Certain Private Non-Profits to Carry Out Hazard Mitigation Projects
DATE ANNOUNCED: Monday, June 10, 2013 (Extended on July 2, 2013)
LETTERS OF INTENT DUE: Thursday, August 1, 2013 by 11:59 pm (see details below)

Please note: The deadline for Letters of Intent (LOIs) has been extended to August 1, 2013, at 11:59 pm, to allow participation by communities still responding to recent severe flooding events across the State.

Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and Superstorm Sandy inflicted unprecedented damage in many areas of New York State. In response to that devastation, the State has committed to assist local governments, non-profit organizations, and the private sector rebuild stronger, more sustainable communities. These efforts are aimed at increasing the State’s resiliency, mitigating the risks of loss and damage associated with future disasters, and reducing hardship.

The New York State Office of Emergency Management (State OEM) is pleased to announce the availability of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds associated with Presidential Disaster Declaration DR-4085: New York Hurricane Sandy (“Superstorm Sandy”) declared October 30, 2012.

This grant program provides the opportunity to invigorate New York’s economy, encourage innovation, improve technology, and increase the quality of life for New Yorkers while developing a more crisis-ready New York State. To move these initiatives forward, the State will make the HMGP available statewide and across a range of sectors, giving preference to proposals that:

  • Are in a county declared in Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee or Superstorm Sandy.
  • Ensure continuity of critical services by reducing the risk of damage and loss of function from flooding and other hazards (including storm surge) at government, private non-profit, and private sector facilities.
  • Protect and enhance the reliability and resilience of transportation, communications or energy infrastructure through traditional or innovative mitigation measures: for example, by burying vulnerable power lines or installing outage management systems; storm-proofing vulnerable cell towers with back-up power systems to ensure uninterrupted communications in emergencies; protecting rail or road corridors against flooding; or mitigating scour-critical bridges or culverts..
  • Provide green, natural or innovative technological solutions to long-term threats: for example, by constructing or reinforcing natural barriers to protect coastal communities; implementing new technologies to minimize damage to facilities in floodplains; or purchasing and modifying land to provide buffer zones to protect communities and their infrastructure..
  • Implement permanent back-up power systems to ensure continuity of power during and after a disaster: for example, by installing combined heat and power (CHP) systems in a critical facility serving vulnerable populations; or wiring for generators to ensure capacity to maintain power during and after such a disaster.
  • Implement the eligible mitigation recommendations the NYS Ready, the NYS Respond, and the NYS 2100 Commissions (see www.governor.ny.gov/NYS2100Commission), or those identified by a county’s assessment of its emergency response capacity.
  • Enhance the ability of the State and/or local governments to monitor rain, streams and/or tides, to provide advance flood warnings and evacuation notices, or to provide other situational awareness during a disaster: for example, by installing stream/water level monitoring system to provide evacuation alerts..
  • Provide training for local floodplain administrators and code officials to perform post-storm inspections required under local law and State Code to speed recovery.
  • Realize permanent flood mitigation solutions: Removing structures from a floodplain, or relocating them to higher ground. (This includes the acquisition of homes damaged after June 30, 2012 that do not qualify for existing NYS or NYC housing recovery programs for survivors of Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.)

HMGP

After a Presidential disaster declaration, as in the case of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and Superstorm Sandy, FEMA provides HMGP funds for States to administer grant programs that support local hazard mitigation planning and long-term hazard mitigation measures to reduce the loss of life and damage to improved property from natural disasters.

  • The State of New York, acting through State OEM, is the applicant for FEMA’s HMGP.
  • Eligible sub-applicants are State-level agencies, Federally-recognized Indian Tribal Governments, local governments (to include State-recognized Indian Tribes and authorized Indian Tribal organizations), and Private Non-Profits (PNPs) that perform a government-like function.  Organizations deemed eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program are eligible under HMGP.
  • Private individuals, businesses and most institutions may not apply for the HMGP, but eligible applicants may apply on their behalf.  Collaborative and creative public-private approaches are strongly encouraged in this HMGP.

Please note:  Homeowners and businesses may be eligible for storm assistance under a variety of housing recovery programs.  In NYS visit www.nysandyhelp.ny.gov or phone 855-NYS-SANDY; in NYC visit www.nyc.gov/html/recovery/html/home/home.shtml or phone 311.

  • Generally speaking, sub-applicants seeking project funds must be covered by a current all-hazards mitigation plan at the time of award.  (A current plan is one approved by FEMA and adopted by the community; some plans cover individual communities while others are regional or county-wide in scope.)  Sub-applicants whose plans have expired may not be able to meet this guidance if they have not begun the update process.  Contact State OEM with questions or to review plan status.
  • FEMA funds provide up to 75% reimbursement of eligible costs, up to the amount of the award.  In-kind services or materials may be used toward the 25% non-Federal match.  While most Federal funds cannot be used for the non-Federal match, there are exceptions and the State may provide matching funds in certain circumstances for eligible projects.  For a complete listing, please see www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/mitigation/documents/FY2011-HMA-Unified_Guidance.pdf (page 9).

 

Please note:  Four additional FEMA mitigation programs are generally announced each spring, subject to Congressional appropriation:  the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA), Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) and Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) Programs.  These programs are currently closed, and are not made available with this canvass or its attachments.