BrandonWe extend our gratitude to all the neighbors who attended Raise Up Forum at the Shore Acres Rec Center for a community uplifting event focused on home enhancement opportunities in our area. Together, we moved a step closer to achieving community progress and empowerment through educational insights.
Event Details:
- Date: Monday, September 18, 2023
- Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Location: Shore Acres Rec Center
View the Event Page
Raise Up Forum Speaker Highlights:
- Davie Shoring: The seasoned professional imparted knowledge on house raising techniques, providing attendees with the information needed to take their homes to a higher level.
- Brian Bacon: Our local expert explored the potential of adding a second story to houses and reviewed a range of teardown and rebuild options available to Shore Acres homeowners.
- Hannah Rebholz: The city’s Floodplain Coordinator outlined the steps for applying for FEMA grants, offering a financial aid pathway for individuals contemplating house raising projects.
Summary of the Program
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a fact sheet outlining the details of the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program for the fiscal year 2022. This program aims to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by facilitating Individual Flood Mitigation Projects. Here is a summary of the key points and provisions presented in the document:
Budget and Funding:
- Total Funding: $800 million for 2022, with at least $400 million designated for Individual Flood Mitigation Projects.
- Funding Source: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Project Eligibility and Requirements:
- Projects need to provide benefits to the NFIP and adhere to various FEMA and federal regulations.
- Subapplicants must have an active NFIP policy and be part of a community participating in the NFIP.
- Subapplicants should have a FEMA-approved Local or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan.
- Projects should be cost-effective with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.0 or higher, demonstrated using a FEMA-approved methodology.
Financial Aid for Benefit-Cost Analysis:
- FEMA offers aid in developing Benefit-Cost Analysis for communities with a high CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) or for federally recognized Tribal governments that cannot calculate a Benefit-Cost Ratio.
Types of Eligible Projects:
- Property acquisition and structure demolitions/relocation.
- Structure elevation.
- Dry flood-proofing of historic residential or non-residential structures.
- Non-structural and structural retrofitting of existing buildings and facilities.
- Mitigation reconstruction.
Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) and Repetitive Loss (RL) Definitions:
- The document defines the criteria for identifying buildings as SRL and RL, based on previous claims and damages incurred due to flooding.
Cost Share:
- Typically, FEMA covers up to 75% of the eligible costs, which can potentially be increased to 90% for properties located in census tracts with a CDC SVI not less than 0.5001.
Project Selection:
- Projects are selected competitively, giving priority to those mitigating flood damages to a significant proportion of SRL and RL properties.
- FEMA will consider the project’s alignment with the criteria set in the federal regulations, as well as the project’s SVI score, when assigning priority points.
- Implementation Measures:
- Subapplications must outline detailed implementation plans, showcasing managerial competency and resources allocation to ensure successful project execution.
Period of Performance:
- The period of performance for individual flood mitigation subawards is 36 months, starting from the date of the recipient’s federal award.
Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach:
- The standard must be applied to all non-critical new constructions or substantial improvements of structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas.
This FEMA fact sheet serves as a guidance document for potential applicants, offering details on the necessary compliance, eligible project types, and the evaluation criteria for the grant application cycle of 2022. It encourages stakeholders to refer to official regulatory texts and the FEMA website for a comprehensive understanding of the program and its requirements.
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