The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is announcing three pre-disaster funding opportunities to help states and communities prepare for major disasters that are costing lives and livelihoods and devastating local communities and businesses.
Article continues below
These programs will allow communities to apply for nearly $5 billion to increase their preparedness in advance of climate-related extreme weather events and other disasters, and improve their ability to recover after these events.
In particular, FEMA is announcing the following:
$1 billion in funding for its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program for Fiscal Year 2021.
This new program, launched in 2020, provides grants to states, local communities, tribes, and territories to proactively reduce their vulnerability to natural hazard events before they occur, and make themselves and the nation more resilient.
This year, the Biden Administration is doubling the program’s funding and implementing a number of changes to enhance funding opportunities for tribes and disadvantaged communities, including by changing program selection criteria and providing a larger allocation for tribes.
$3.46 billion in funding for its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The 59 states, tribes, and territories that received a major disaster declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible to receive 4% of the disaster costs related to their declaration to invest in mitigation projects that will help better prepare and protect communities from natural disasters and the impacts of climate change.
The influx of funding will help communities prioritize mitigation needs for a more resilient future, including underserved communities that are often most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
$160 million in funding for its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program for Fiscal Year 2021 to reduce or eliminate the risks of repetitive flood damage to homes and buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. ■
Modified arctic air combined with a moisture-laden area of low pressure along the Gulf Coast will continue to allow for a broad area of winter weather impacts from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast today into early Saturday morning.