The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is pleased to announce the opening of the application cycle under the Fiscal Year, 2012 Flood Mitigation Assistance Program. Eligible applicants, local and Native American Tribal governments, must submit sub-applications to DEM by, 5:00 PM on October 3, 2011 using FEMA's Electronic Grants Management System (E-Grants). Approved subapplications which are fully eligible, technically feasible and cost-beneficial will be submitted to FEMA for review. For more information, please see the Notice of Funding Availability for the 2012 Application Cycle.

Authorization and Purpose of Funding

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMAP) was created pursuant to Section 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 United States Code 4104c), as amended by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-325), and the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-264), with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the National Flood Insurance Program. The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program regulations are contained in Title 44, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 78.

The purpose of the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program is to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program, whether the structure is a repetitive loss or not. Therefore, any insured structure with or without losses is eligible to apply for assistance.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management's Role in the FMA Program

Although the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program is federally funded, the program is administered through a partnership with the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM). The Division of Emergency Management has the authority and responsibility for developing and maintaining a State Mitigation Plan, reviewing Flood Mitigation Assistance Program sub-applications, recommending cost effective sub-applications to FEMA and awarding approved project grants to eligible sub-applicants. The Division of Emergency Management is also responsible for ensuring that projects funded by the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program are completed and that all performance and financial reporting requirements are met.

The Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance, which may be amended by the State FMAP Administrative Plan, governs how subapplications are submitted and how projects are selected for funding. The success in reducing future flood insurance claims depends upon the ability of our local and Native American Tribal governments to prepare, implement and maintain long-term flood mitigation projects. The Florida Division of Emergency Management will award and provide pass-through funds for fully eligible and technically feasible projects that are the most cost-effective in reducing or eliminating future claims payments from the National Flood Insurance Fund.

Eligible Sub-Applicants

Eligible sub-applicants are:

1. Local governments,
2. Native American Tribal governments,
3. State-level agencies;
4. Applicants must participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Communities that are suspended or withdrawn from the National Flood Insurance Program are not eligible to receive Repetitive Flood Claims grant funds.
5. Communities that have a current FEMA-approved and locally adopted Local Mitigation Strategy Plan.

Owners of structures, residential or non-residential, that have been previously flooded and desire to have their structure acquired should consult with their local or Native American Tribal government about submitting a sub-application on their behalf for Repetitive Flood Claims grant funds. Sub-applications must be submitted by an eligible applicant and they cannot be accepted directly from individuals, families or businesses.

Eligible Projects under the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program

Eligible Project Activities:

Grants are available to local and Native American Tribal governments to implement measures to reduce the risk of flood damage to National Flood Insurance Program insured structures.
The State of Florida will use project funds to implement cost-effective measures that flood retrofit NFIP insured structures or substantially damaged structures. Examples of eligible flood retrofit activities are:

1. Acquisition and Demolition;
2. Acquisition and Relocation;
3. Elevation and Retrofit (Standard in Place Elevation);
4. Dry Flood-proofing of Non-Residential Structures;
5. Beach nourishment;
6. Minor Localized Flood Reduction Projects
7. Dry Flood-proofing of Historical Structures; and

The activities above, although eligible, must also meet the following minimum criteria in order to be considered for funding:

• Be cost-effective
  A project must be cost-effective and substantially reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss or suffering resulting from a major disaster. This requirement is satisfied by performing an analysis to determine whether the benefits to be gained are at least equal to, or greater than the cost of the project.
  
  
• Be technically feasible
  The project must use flood resistant design and construction methods and flood resistant materials that are accepted by the design and construction industry, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Also a clear description of the proposed methods should be provided in the E-grant application's scope of work.
  
  
• Located in or benefits an NFIP-compliant community
  An eligible project must be located physically in a participating NFIP community that is not on probation, suspended or withdrawn from the NFIP, and the project must benefit such a community directly by reducing future flood damages.
  
  
• Conform with the State's Administrative Plan
  Each applicant must have an approved Flood Mitigation Plan, or a Community Rating System Floodplain Management Plan, or a Local Mitigation Strategy. Conformance with these plans ensures that the proposed measure is in keeping with statewide mitigation strategies. In some cases, the proposed project may be identified within the existing plan.
  
  
• Comply with environmental laws, regulations and executive orders
  Comply with Executive Order 11988 (Title 44, CFR , Part 9 - Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands), Environmental Considerations and the National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA] (Title 44, CFR , Part 10).
  
  
• Be in conformance with the minimum floodplain management regulations of the National Flood Insurance Program (Title 44, CFR, Sections 59 and 60.3) and the local government's Community Rating System Program, if applicable.

Application Process

Fully eligible and cost beneficial sub-applications will be submitted to FEMA Region IV. All applications must be submitted using the Egrants system. Local and Native American Tribal governments will perform a Benefit-Cost analysis as a part of the application process and attach this analysis to each sub-application.

E-grants Access-Training and Registration

E-Grants Training for the Sub-Applicant

An interactive computer based course is designed to provide local and Native American Tribal governments with basic knowledge about using the web-based Mitigation Electronic Grants (E-Grants) System. E-Grants stream-lines the application process by providing governmental units with the ability to apply for and manage sub-grant applications over the Internet. This course is designed to allow the individual to take it in its entirety or to focus on specific aspects of the E-Grants System. The course examines registering for access to the E-Grants System; creating, completing and submitting sub-grant applications to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for forwarding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and managing approved sub-applications. The course may be accessed at the following link  http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS30.asp

E-grants Registration for Sub-applicants

• Register a representative(s) to create and edit project sub-applications; and
• Register a representative(s) to sign and submit the project sub-application. This representative may be the chief elected official or chief administrative official of the local or Native American Tribal government, or his/her designee. Documentation must be sent to the Florida Division of Emergency Management identifying this individual.
• The Subgrant Applicant Quick Reference Guide is available at http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3267
• After reviewing the Application Process, click here to register for the E-Grants System: https://portal.fema.gov.

1. Click on “New User ?” link to register
2. Follow screen instructions after clicking on New User and Submit. These require you to type the funny looking characters appearing on the screen.
3. Personal Information is entered on the next several screens; Special note: create a user name that is at least 7 characters and not more than 14 characters in length without any spaces, and all in lower case. Click on Submit when requested at the end of each page.
4. A new window will appear with the message Click here to request new privileges
5. Click on Mitigation egrants. The next screen will ask for an “ACCESS ID”. Enter S12 (Capital S) and submit.
6. The next screen confirms that registration is successful and you will see a message “Your request is being processed”. This means that your request has been placed in the Egrant system approval queue. You will be notified via email once the DEM staff has taken action on your request.

The Subgrantee sends an email to DEM in care of Shemeeka.Hopkins@em.myflorida.com. with the names and access rights (view/print, create/edit and sign/submit) of all users to be registered from the local government.

Benefit Cost Analysis

The traditional FEMA-approved software-based BCA Flood Modules to determine the cost effectiveness of a project must be used. Sub-applicants must use a FEMA approved methodology to perform a BCA. Only project sub-applications that demonstrate cost-effectiveness through a benefit cost ratio of 1.0 or greater will be considered for FMAP funding. The BCA must be attached to the sub-applicant's application in PDF and Excel formats. The FEMA approved BCA Toolkit, which includes the Flood Modules, may be downloaded at no cost. The BCA Helpline may be contacted by telephone (866.222.3580) or via e-mail ( bchelpline@dhs.gov ).

Guidance

FEMA has developed resources to assist subapplicants with project and planning subapplications. The resources can be found on the HMA Application Development and Process web page at http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/hma/applications.shtm

Publications and tools used in the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA) are provided below:
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=4225

Mitigation - Benefit Cost Analysis Toolkit

Contact

All documents should be submitted to the Florida Division of Emergency Management at the following address:

State of Florida
Division of Emergency Management
Flood Mitigation Assistance Program
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100

Helen Johnson
helen.johnson@em.myflorida.com
850-922-4077

Updated:
October 12, 2010 16:50