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DHS FEMA NFIP Services - eWaterwark Article
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Bringing the Gulf Coast Up to Speed
The 2005 hurricane season shattered records and homes, but not the spirit of Gulf Coast residents.
Many people returned to their homes or bare home sites, and their communities are helping them to
rebuild more safely. FEMA is there to support these efforts by offering a wide variety of mitigation
and planning assistance to local governments in the best of times, and in the worst of times.
Planning and Mitigation Assistance
The Community Assistance Program, State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE), is a product-oriented,
Federally-funded financial assistance program intended to help states identify, prevent, and
resolve floodplain management issues in NFIP-participating communities before a flood event.
FEMA Regional Offices and the designated state agency negotiate a CAP-SSSE Agreement that specifies
activities and products to be delivered by a state in return for CAP-SSSE funds. Some of the fundable
CAP activities have included assistance to local governments in the development of local floodplain
ordinances, Community Assistance Visits and Community Assistance Contacts, General Technical
Assistance, and assistance to communities in responding to disasters like Hurricanes Katrina, Rita,
and Wilma.
Performance standards that address quality of service are developed by each state. There is a
25-percent non-federal match for all states receiving CAP-SSSE funds.
You can find out more about this program on FEMA's
CAP webpage. The FEMA website also includes information about the
types of floodplain management activities that states are implementing to ensure the flood loss
reduction goals of the NFIP.
HMGP Helps Rebuild Gulf Coast Communities
The Gulf Coast's recovery from the 2005 hurricane season has offered FEMA an opportunity to work
with states and communities to incorporate mitigation measures directly into the recovery process,
thus creating communities that will be more disaster resistant in the future.
FEMA is providing the State of Louisiana with an estimated $1.57 billion in mitigation grant funding.
In Mississippi, more than $429 million has been obligated for post-disaster mitigation projects,
including costly code enforcement activities, through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
FEMA has approved a $14 million project developed by Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina that will
improve enforcement of the newly adopted International Building Code throughout the state.
In Mississippi, the cities of Moss Point and Pearl River have received HMGP grants to support code
enforcement activities after Hurricane Katrina. Visit FEMA's
HMGP webpage for more information about these and other code enforcement activities.
The severe damage from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma proved too extensive to be addressed by
traditional mitigation measures. Additional methods to mitigate the potential for future damages were
necessary. Following are examples of two new FEMA mitigation funding initiatives.
FEMA established the HMGP Mitigation Reconstruction Grant Pilot to provide another mitigation option
throughout the recovery process. Eligible activities under this pilot program include the demolition
of an existing flood-damaged building and the construction of an elevated building on the same site.
All reconstruction activities funded through this pilot will be required to adhere to specific
standards to ensure protection against flood and wind related hazards.
FEMA has developed the HMGP Expanded Mitigation Strategies Planning Grant Pilot to assist applicants
in identifying specific mitigation projects, evaluating their cost effectiveness, addressing
potential environmental issues, and determining the technical feasibility of projects.
Mitigation Encouraged
FEMA and the NFIP will continue to support local mitigation activities in all areas, those hit by
catastrophic storms as well as those affected by less damaging floods. It is our mission to keep
the nation's communities strong and to help bring them back after disasters.
FEMA's Mitigation Grant Programs
Mitigation grant programs include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Pre-Disaster Mitigation
Program, the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, the Severe Repetitive Loss Pilot Program and,
soon, the Repetitive Flood Claims Program.
The Risk Reduction Division is currently working to unify the hazard mitigation assistance programs
to bring greater consistency in program policies. The Division is simplifying the application and
eligibility determination process. Program implementation and management also will be streamlined.
For more information, visit the
floodplain management and the
mitigation grant program pages on FEMA's website, or contact your state's Hazard Mitigation
Officer. A complete list of officers and their contact information is available at the
State Hazard Mitigation Officer page of the FEMA website.
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| Last Modified:
Friday, 21 January 2011 |
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