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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

Sub-applicants are encouraged to review the strategies and projects in their FEMA-approved mitigation plans to see if revisions are warranted based on the damage experienced during Sandy.  This will also help identify cost-effective, resilient, and ready-to-implement mitigation projects that:

  • Provide a comprehensive approach to floodplain management (e.g., neighborhood-wide initiatives instead of isolated or patchwork solutions, taking into account storm surge, where appropriate);
  • Achieve and reinforce comprehensive long-range goals as identified through coordination with the NYS Departments of State (DOS) and Environmental Conservation (DEC), the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), State OEM, the NYS Ready, Respond and 2100 Commissions,  and other local and regional plans and objectives;
  • Support State and Federal goals, like removing structures from Coastal Barrier Resource System Units and floodways, taking advantage of the most current National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) mapping data (including Advance Base Flood Elevation maps, or ABFEs), planning for climate change, retaining historic character or unique attributes, and promoting sustainable use.

Before responding to this announcement, and to maximize funding opportunities, potential applicants are also encouraged to carefully review FEMA’s “Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance” for a listing of eligible and ineligible activities (see www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/mitigation/documents/FY2011-HMA-Unified_Guidance.pdf). This information can be found in Sections D.1 (pg. 11) and D.2 (p. 16), respectively.

Please note:  In this HMGP round the State will not fund activities that are eligible for assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program (see www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/recovery/ or call 518-292-2293) or New York State’s NY Rising Program (see www.nysandyhelp.ny.gov/# or call 855-NYS-SANDY).  Work at non-critical facilities located in FEMA-mapped riverine floodways, coastal V-zones, or Coastal Barrier Resource System Units is also not eligible.  In addition, the State will not prioritize activities eligible for assistance under New York City’s NYC Recovery Program (see www.nyc.gov/html/recovery/html/home/home.shtml or phone 311).

Special Notes for Structure Buyouts

As noted above, certain housing activities covered by existing Hurricane Sandy housing programs will not be funded or prioritized because Federal law discourages or prohibits the duplication of programs.  However, local governments may sponsor home acquisition projects under this HMGP for residents with properties that do not qualify for the programs noted above if HMGP eligibility requirements are met.[1] 

[1]    Local floodplain officials preforming property damage assessments should direct questions about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and floodplain ordinances to the NYS DEC at 518-402-8185; questions about the NYS Building Code should be directed to the NYS Dept. of State, Codes Division, at 518-474-4073.