Hazard Mitigation

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs for the State of Rhode Island are administered by the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA). The programs are designed to provide funding for eligible mitigation activities that protect life, property and the environment from future disaster damages. Mitigation supports actions that are long-term, cost-effective and environmentally sound. HMA funding opportunities enable eligible sub-applicants to implement mitigation actions pre and post-disaster.

There are three (3) HMA programs outlined in the FY2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Unified Guidance and programmatic details are available on FEMA’s HMA website.

  1. Flood Mitigation Assistance 
  2. Pre-Disaster Mitigation
  3. Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

In addition to the mitigation project funding available through the HMA programs above, mitigation planning provides governments with a framework designed to guide decision making pre and post disaster.  To learn more about the mitigation planning process click here.

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) provides funds that measures can be taken to reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Funding is available on an annual basis (as appropriated).

In 2013, the FMA program was reorganized. This process consolidated multiple flood mitgiation programs into a single FMA program which seeks to reduce or eliminate claims under the National Flood Insurance Program. Below are the previously independent programs that have been absorbed into the FMA program:

  • Repetitive Flood Claims: Program aimed to reduce flood damages to properties for which one or more flood insurance claim payments had been made.
  • Severe Repetitive Loss: Program was designed to reduce flood damages to residential properties that had experienced severe repetitive losses under flood insurance coverage.

Cost Share

  • 75% (Federal) / 25% (Non-Federal) – insured properties and planning grants
  • 90% (Federal) / 10% (Non-Federal) – repetitive loss (RL)* property
  • 100% (Federal) – severe repetitive loss (SRL)* property

*Repetitive Loss: A structure that has incurred flood-related damage on two (2) occasions, in which the cost of the repair, on the average, equaled or exceeded 25 percent of the market value of the structure at the time of each such flood event.

*Severe Repetitive Loss: A structure has at least four (4) flood related damages claims payments (including building and contents) over $5,000 each, and the cumulative amount of such claims payments exceeds $20,000.

Eligible Sub-Applicants

  • State Agencies
  • Local Governments
  • Tribal Governments

Successful Rhode Island Sub-Applicants

Award Year:

Number of Sub-Grantees:

Activity Type(s):

Total Federal Share:

2013

1

Residential Elevation

$190,251.00

For additional program specific information, please visit FEMA's FMA website.

Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) provides funds for hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of mitigation projects prior to a disaster. The goal of the PDM program is to reduce overall risk to the population and structures, while at the same time, also reducing reliance on Federal funding from actual disaster declarations. Funding is available on an annual basis (as appropriated).

For Rhode Island communities, PDM has traditionally been the most popular way to receive an award to create or update a local hazard mitigation plan. Sub-applicants may also pursue funds through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for mitigation planning. For more information on the mitigation planning processes, please visit the Mitigation Planning page.

Cost Share

  • 75% (Federal) / 25% (Non-Federal)

Eligible Sub-Applicants

  • State Agencies
  • Local Governments
  • Tribal Governments

Successful Rhode Island Sub-Applicants

Award Year:

Number of Sub-Grantees:

Activity Type(s):

Total Federal Share:

2009

4

Hazard Mitigation Plans

$31,521.15

2010

16

Hazard Mitigation Plans

$226,102.71

2011

1

Hazard Mitigation Plan

$28,056.72

2012

3

Hazard Mitigation Plans & Residential Acquisition

$243,302.25

2013

2

Utility Elevation Water Main Relocation

$1,394,366.88

2014

2

Generator Purchase and Installation Hazard Mitigation Planning

$79,875.00

For more program specific information, please visit FEMA's PDM website.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) assists in implementing long-term hazard mitigation measures following Presidential disaster declarations. Funding is available to implement plans or projects in accordance with State, Tribal, and local priorities.

Unlike the FMA or PDM programs, HMGP is the ONLY post-disaster mitigation program.  Following a disaster declaration, States are allotted 15% of total disaster assistance grants provided by FEMA for HMGP.  

Cost Share

  • 75% (Federal) / 25% (Non-Federal)

Eligible Sub-Applicants

  • State Agencies
  • Local Governments
  • Tribal Governments
  • Private Non-Profit Organizations

Successful Rhode Island Sub-Applicants

Declared Disaster

Event

Number of Sub-Grantees

Activity Types

Total Federal Share (To Date)

HMGP DR-1894

March 2010 Floods

13

Backflow Valves

Outreach Initiative

Residential Acquisitions

Structure Relocation

$2,962,408.00

HMGP DR-4027

Tropical Storm Irene

13

Backflow Valves

Hazard Mitigation

Planning

Residential Elevations

$1,119,240.00

HMGP DR-4089

Hurricane Sandy

6

Generator Installations

Hazard Mitigation

Planning

Residential Elevations

$857,580.00

HMGP DR-4107

Severe Winter Storm 2013

5

Generator Installations

Hazard Mitigation

Planning

Residential Acquisitions

$299,643.00

For more program specific information, please visit FEMA's HMPG website.

Additional Resources