Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

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Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

• Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation
• HAZARD MITIGATION

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• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

• For
• FEMA-4099-DR-PA
• (Hurricane Sandy)
• All Counties Eligible for HMGP

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• What is Mitigation?

• Hazard Mitigation is
• any cost-effective action taken to eliminate
  or reduce the long term risk to life and property
  from natural and technological hazards.

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• What is the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program?

• Created in 1988 by the Stafford Act
• FEMA provides 75 match funds to States to fund
  post-disaster hazard mitigation measures
• Overall Goal Reduce vulnerability to natural
  hazards

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How is the HMGP funded?

• Funding under the HMGP is based on 15 of the
  federal funds that are spent on the Individual
  Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA)
  Programs for each declared disaster.
• For example, for every 1 million in IA PA
  funding, HMGP gets 150,000

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What are the HMGPs objectives?

• To prevent future loss of life and property due
  to natural disasters.
• To provide funding for previously identified
  mitigation measures that benefit the disaster
  area.
• To implement State, County, and Municipal Hazard
  Mitigation Plans.

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Who is eligible?

• State, County, and Municipal Governments
• Certain private non-profit organizations or
  institutions that own or operate a private
  non-profit facility
• Indian tribes or organizations

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What types of projects can be funded?

• Acquisition/Demolition or relocation of
  structures in hazard-prone areas.
• Flood-proofing or retrofitting to protect
  structures from future damage.
• Retention Areas, debris basins, etc.
• Development of standards to protect new and
  substantially damaged structures from disaster
  damage.

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Prerequisites

• County must have an approved and adopted All
  Hazard Mitigation (322) Plan.
• Municipality must have participated and adopted
  the approved county plan.
• Projects must meet the FEMA, State, and local
  municipal strategies.
• Requested project funding must have been
  identified as a mitigation activity in the county
  plan.

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Eligible HMGP Projects

• Mitigation Projects
• Property Acquisition and Structure Demolition
• Structure Relocation
• Dry Floodproofing of Historic Residential
  Structures
• Dry Floodproofing of Non-residential Structures
• Minor Localized Flood Reduction Projects
• Structural Retrofitting of Existing Buildings
• Non-structural Retrofitting of Existing Buildings
  and Facilities
• Safe Room Construction
• Infrastructure Retrofit
• Structure Elevation
• Soil Stabilization
• Wildfire Mitigation
• Post-disaster Code Enforcement
• 5 Initiative Projects
• Hazard Mitigation Planning (counties)

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State Mitigation Project Priorities

• Acquisition/Demolition of damaged, substantially
  damaged, or destroyed homes.
• Small structural projects using FEMA Benefit Cost
  Analysis (BCA) Software.
• Other eligible State Initiative flood mitigation
  opportunities (up to 5 of the grant total).
• Development of County Hazard Mitigation Plans
  (allowable amount up to 7 of the grant total).
• Home elevation projects.
• Eligible business mitigation activities e.g.
  flood-proofing or other resilient mitigation
  retrofitting measures.
• Note Other federal and state programs are
  available for structural projects.

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Silver Jacket Initiative Interagency Document

• INTERAGENCY FLOOD MITIGATION PROGRAM GUIDE
• Developed and finalized by our Pennsylvania team
  July 2011 being used across the country now as
  a Best Practices Reference Document
• http//www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/com
  munity/programs_and_services/4547/hazard_mitigatio
  n_forms_presentations_and_other_documents/806856
• PA Silver Jackets Program Guide_FINAL JUL 2011.pdf

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What About Buyouts?

• (Acquisition Projects)
• The local government is the applicant, not the
  homeowners.
• Must be voluntary participation.
• Homes are demolished, land is owned by local
  government and must remain in open space use
  forever.
• PEMA recommends State certified appraisals of
  pre-flood value for purchase price.
• Some homeowner disaster assistance may be
  deducted from the final purchase price.

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How To Apply

• Send in Letter of Intent/Pre-Application (on PEMA
  Website) PEMA will target these recommended
  areas with FEMA or PEMA personnel
• PEMA reviews pre-applications.
• PEMA sends out an application packet if it meets
  eligibility criteria (municipality will be
  notified either way via electronic means).
• Applicant completes the HMGP application.
• State Hazard Mitigation Team review and ranking.
• Applications must be sent to FEMA within 1 year
  of the disaster declaration date.

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What goes in an application?

• Basic application information
• For buyouts homeowner/property information
• For structural projects design, engineering GIS
  latitude longitude, first floor elevation
• Total project budget
• Damage information
• Photos, maps
• Local Mitigation Plan information

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How are HMGP projects selected for funding?

• The eligibility criteria, contained in the
  Commonwealths HMGP Administrative Plan states
  that
• Projects that are cost-effective substantially
  reduce risk and have multi-hazard application
  will have the advantage.
• A State Hazard Mitigation Team applies this
  criteria in its review and ranking of all project
  applications.

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Cost EffectivenessWhat is Benefit Cost Analysis?
BENEFIT (Reduced Damage) -------------------------
----- 1.0 PROJECT COST
100 yr flood 50 yr flood 10 yr flood
Where a house sits in the floodplain predicts
how often and much damage will occur over time.
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What is a BCA and BCR?

• BCA Benefit Cost Analysis, a quantitative
  procedure that compares the cost effectiveness of
  a hazard mitigation measure by taking a long-term
  view of avoided future damages as compared to the
  cost of a project.

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BCA and BCR (Continued)

• BCR Benefit Cost Ratio, a numerical expression
  of the cost effectiveness of a project calculated
  as the net present value of total project
  benefits divided by the net present value of
  total project cost. A score of above 1.0 is
  required to be a passing BCR.

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BCA and BCR (Continued)

• Example An acquisition project has a total cost
  of 50,000
• BCA Benefits of 75,000 over 100 years.
• BCR Benefits divided by cost of project.
• (75,000 50,000 1.50)
• Passing BCR

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Are private citizens eligible to apply for the
HMGP?

• Projects on private property may be eligible
  for funding under the HMGP only if submitted by
  a municipal government entity (County, City,
  Township, Borough, etc.).
• Participation in an HMGP project by a private
  citizen MUST BE VOLUNTARY!

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What Isnt Eligible for HMGP?

• Repair or Replacement of Existing Infrastructure,
  Roads, Facilities, etc.
• Debris/snow removal, Stream-related work
• Bridge replacement
• Mitigation for damaged infrastructure that can be
  funded under Public Assistance
• Deferred maintenance

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When will I know if my application is approved?

• Once an application is sent to FEMA,
• the approval process usually takes
• 90-120 days
• Certain aspects of a project can add to review
  time historic buildings or sites, special
  environmental concerns, archaeological studies

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What do I need to do now?

• As a municipal official you will need to
• Decide if there is a mitigation project in your
  community that should be completed.
• Complete the HMGP Letter of Intent
  LOI/Pre-Application.
• Mail, email or fax your LOI/Pre-Application to
  PEMA
• 2605 Interstate Drive
• Harrisburg, PA 17110
• Fax [phone] or RA-shazmitoff_at_pa.gov

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The HMGP Letter of Intent Pre-Application

• Must be signed by a local official.
• Is not binding.
• Identifies the single Contact Person for HMGP
  (Applicants Agent)
• Describes problem the proposed mitigation
  project.
• Must be submitted to receive an HMGP application.

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Letter of Intent (LOI) on PEMA website
HMGP Letter of Intent/Pre-Application can be
downloaded from the PEMA website www.pema.state.pa
.us

• Click on PROGRAMS and SERVICES
• Then HAZARD MITIGATION
• On the HM page, scroll down and click on HM
  FORMS, etc.
• LOI form is under Unified Hazard Mitigation Grant
  Program Forms

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IMPORTANT HMGP DEADLINES

• Your Letter of Intent/Pre-Application form must
  be returned to PEMA by
• April 10, 2013
• HMGP DR-4099 applications must be submitted to
  PEMA by June 30, 2013
• State Hazard Mitigation Team to meet August 2013
  for Application Review
• PEMA the State Hazard Mitigation Team reserve
  the right to alter the dates at their discretion.
  

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Contact Information

• While Joint Field Office is functioning in
  Harrisburg
• HMGP Hotline [phone] FOR MUNICIPAL USE
• - Not to be passed to Residents or Businesses
• Insurance Hotline [phone] FOR MUNICIPAL
  USE - Not to be passed to Residents or
  Businesses
• NFIP Information for Residents/Businesses -
• http//www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/floodins/infocon.
  shtm

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Contact Information

• Tom Hughes, State Hazard Mitigation Officer
• [phone] or thughes_at_pa.gov
• Don Smith, HMGP Coordinator
• [phone] or dowsmith_at_pa.gov
• PEMA, 2605 Interstate Drive
• Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110
• FAX [phone]
• http//www.pema.state.pa.us

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• Questions?

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National Flood Insurance Program

• National Flood Insurance Act of 1968
• Flood Insurance is provided in the US by the
  federal government via the National Flood
  Insurance Program (NFIP), in two ways.
• First, the government directly provides coverage
  for some properties.
• Second, the government works in concert with
  around 90 private insurers who function as
  servicing contractors.
• www.floodsmart.gov

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National Flood Insurance Program

• Since its inception, 3 principles have guided
  this program
• Identification of risk and the development of
  maps that delineate flood risk (roughly 5 risk
  bands, with elevation serving as a risk adjuster
  within bands)
• Flood plain management, designed to mitigate risk
  of flood
• The provision of flood insurance for uninsurable
  properties
• What NFIP related questions have you been asked
• RESOURCES AVAILABLE

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National Flood Insurance Program

• What NFIP related questions have you been asked?
• RESOURCES AVAILABLE
• NFIP Publications http//www.fema.gov/business/nf
  ip/libfacts.shtm
• Stuffers
• Brochures
• Information Sheets
• Booklets
• Post Flood Materials
• Lender Materials

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FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT

• Floodplain management is the operation of a
  community program of corrective and preventative
  measures for reducing flood damage.
• These measures take a variety of forms and
  generally include requirements for zoning,
  subdivision or building, and special-purpose
  floodplain ordinances

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FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT

• A community's agreement to adopt and enforce
  floodplain management ordinances, particularly
  with respect to new construction, is an important
  element in making flood insurance available to
  home and business owners.
• Currently over 20,100 US communities voluntarily
  adopt and enforce local floodplain management
  ordinances that provide flood loss reduction
  building standards for new and existing
  development

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FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT

• To encourage communities to establish sound
  floodplain management programs that recognize and
  encourage community floodplain management
  activities that exceed the minimum NFIP
  requirements, the Community Rating System (CRS)
  was created. This program provides communities
  with discounts to flood insurance rates.
• County Participating CRS Communities

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Community Rating System (CRS)

• Voluntary incentive program that recognizes and
  encourages community floodplain management
  activities that exceed the minimum NFIP
  requirements.
• Flood insurance premium rates are discounted to
  reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the
  community actions meeting the three goals of the
  CRS

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Community Rating System (CRS)
Municipality County Municipality County
Bloomsburg, Town of Columbia Chapman Twp Snyder
Danville Borough Montour Etna Borough Allegheny
Granville Twp Mifflin Hanover Twp Luzerne
Harrisburg, City of Dauphin Herndon Boro Northumberland
Jersey Shore Boro Lycoming Kingston Boro Luzerne
Lewisburg Boro Union Lewistown Boro Mifflin
Milton Boro Northumberland Monroe Twp Snyder
Newport Boro Perry Northumberland Boro Northumberland
Penn Twp Northumberland Selinsgrove Boro Snyder
Shaler Twp Allegheny Sunbury, City of Northumberland
Upper Augustus Twp Northumberland Upper St. Clair Twp Allegheny
Wilkes-Barre, City of Luzerne
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Community Rating System (CRS)

• Three goals of the CRS
• Reduce flood losses
• Facilitate accurate insurance rating and
• Promote the awareness of flood insurance.
• RESOURCE NFIP Community Rating System (CRS) A
  Local Officials Guide to Saving Lives,
  Preventing Property Damage, Reducing the Cost of
  Flood Insurance
• http//www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id3655