More money for mitigation & resiliency, too
Courtesy, Howard Greenblatt/FEMA
The Governor asked and the President said yes. FEMA has announced a federal cost-share increase from 75% to 90% for Hurricane Irma recovery projects funded by its Public Assistance grant program. This increase amounts to $111.5 million in additional federal funding to help Florida communities recover from the impacts of the 2017 storm.
These funds allow FEMA to reimburse local, state and tribal governments and certain private nonprofit organizations (including eligible churches) 90% of eligible costs of emergency expenses, debris removal and infrastructure repair.
After Hurricane Irma struck, the President authorized 90% federal funding for 30 days for debris removal. The increase to 90% applies to Public Assistance projects not originally eligible for the special 90% cost-share arrangement. To date, FEMA has approved more than $1.4 billion in Public Assistance grants to help Florida communities rebuild safer and stronger. It’s part of the $5 billion in federal assistance that Florida has received for Irma recovery.
The Governor last week announced another chunk of that $5 billion – $108 million in mitigation grants. The Florida Division of Emergency Management has the grants for local governments impacted by Hurricane Irma through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This funding is used to help communities implement hazard mitigation measures, with the key purpose of reducing the risk of loss of life and property from future disasters.
This is the gift that keeps on giving. The more money that we can draw down from the federal government for mitigation, the more resilient we can make the structures in our communities. This, in turn, reduces the risk to insurance companies thereby reducing insurance policy premiums.
There’s more to come. Florida received an allocation of $564 million in mitigation grants. As funding is approved by the state and FEMA, our emergency management officials work closely with local governments to put grant agreements in place as they prepare to start work on these projects.
LMA Newsletter of 10-7-19
