FEMA 2014 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program Grant Announcement

The Colorado DHSEM Mitigation Team is now accepting Notice of Intent (NOI) forms for the 2014 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Program grants, including the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM) and Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA). These grants represent an opportunity to improve a community’s ability to mitigate natural hazards and reduce potential impacts on citizens, property and local economies. NOIs will be evaluated for eligibility and alignment with HMA program priorities as laid out in the fact sheets linked below. The Mitigation Team will invite jurisdictions to complete a full grant application as appropriate.

HMA Program Grant Announcements and Priorities

Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (grants.gov posting) (PDM Fact Sheet)

Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (grants.gov posting) (FMA Fact Sheet)

Timeline

Similar to last year, the timeline for application development is significantly shorter than in previous years. The compressed timeline suggests that the most competitive projects will be those in alignment with Federal program priorities, previously scoped, in pre-design, and with a well-established cost estimate.

• May 30, 2014 – Notice of Intent forms due to DHSEM.
• June 13, 2014 – Notice of Intent reviews complete.
• July 3, 2014 – Benefit-Cost Analysis complete.
• July 22, 2014 – Subapplications completed in eGrants.
• July 25, 2014 – State application completed in eGrants and submitted to FEMA.

Please take a thorough look at the program webpages and grants.gov sites as linked above, as well as the FFY 2013 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance which remains the current guidance.

Contact Ken Brink, Mitigation Team Supervisor, with questions or comments at kenneth.brink@state.co.us or 720-852-6695.


Labels: FEMA, finance, grant, mitigation, HMA

Download the Notice of Interest Form 
Link to Notice of Interest Form (Word Document)

Colorado Daily Status Report May 8

View or download the complete Colorado Daily Status Report for May 8, 2014.

Rebuilding stronger and better

Rebuilding after a disaster can present opportunities as well as challenges.

The challenges include getting the job done quickly and efficiently. The opportunities involve rebuilding stronger and better.

When it comes to repairing and rebuilding infrastructure damaged in last September’s floods, FEMA’s Stafford Act Section 406 can provide mitigation funds for risk-reduction improvements to roads, waterways, bridges, dams, buildings and other public structures already eligible for Public Assistance reimbursement.

Mitigation projects are being undertaken throughout the 18 Colorado counties designated eligible for FEMA Public Assistance, particularly in Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties. The goal is to reduce risk, reduce damages, and reduce the threat to life and property from future flooding events.

As Coloradans continue recovery efforts, nearly 200 Public Assistance repair projects now include some form of Section 406 mitigation. Many of these projects involve “armoring,” or shoring up, stream banks scraped and weakened by the flooding. Workers are also elevating electrical equipment out of harm’s way in public buildings and in the field, and doing what they can to strengthen piers and other supports under bridges.

FEMA typically reimburses at least 75 percent of eligible costs for projects that return infrastructure to its pre-disaster condition. Under certain circumstances, FEMA can also fund Section 406 mitigation measures as long the project is cost effective.

Most types of mitigation projects in this disaster recovery can be considered cost-effective and eligible for funding if they are performed on disaster-damaged infrastructure and reduce the potential for damages from similar events in the future.

Cost-effectiveness, along with other conditions for eligibility, are determined on a case-by-case basis. Applicants for 406 mitigation should consult with their FEMA Public Assistance Coordinator for more detailed information and guidance.


Download the news release.

Colorado Daily Status Report May 7

View or download the complete Colorado Daily Status Report for May 7, 2014.

Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program Exercise is this Week, Tuesday, May 6th

Joint news release from the Pueblo Joint Information Center.

The Pueblo Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) exercise will be held on Tuesday, May 6. The exercise is scheduled to start at approximately 3 p.m. and conclude around 8 p.m. This annual event has been designed to test participants’ response capabilities to two simulated emergencies and to have that response effort federally evaluated.

Over a dozen agencies, local, state, and federal will demonstrate their capabilities in the afternoon exercise. Participants include the American Red Cross, ACOVA, Colorado Department of Public Safety, Pueblo Animal Services, Pueblo Parks Department, the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, City of Pueblo Police and Fire Departments, Rye Fire Department, Pueblo West Fire Department, Pueblo Rural Fire Department, local hospitals and more.

The exercise scenario will involve a simulated chemical incident at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot and another non-related emergency within the city limits of Pueblo. The mock events will be large enough to require the activation of the new Pueblo County Emergency Operations Center, the Pueblo Community Joint Information Center, field decontamination and treatment facilities, as well as shelters for displaced citizens and their household pets.

The public will see exercise related activity at several locations but should not be alarmed. The exercise may appear very realistic, responders will be dressed in full protective equipment and some actors who will be playing accident victims will receive realistic looking injury make-up. The majority of publically visible activity will be in the southwest corner of Pueblo City Park (Pueblo Boulevard and Thatcher Ave) but additional emergency equipment and vehicles will be deployed to the other sites including, the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot and Central High School.

To evaluate the community’s ability to notify the public in a timely manner, officials will launch a telephone call into the homes and businesses near Pueblo Boulevard and Thatcher Avenue the evening before the exercise. Responders will also practice door-to-door and patrol car public announcement capabilities during the events and the residents around the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot may hear tone alert radio activations and test tones from the sirens that surround the post.

Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office CSEPP Coordinator Carl Ballinger has seen two decades of CSEPP Exercises and knows the value of the evaluation process. “The ability to test our community plans and procedures, both in the field and in the operations centers has real value. In fact,” says Ballinger, “our new Emergency Services Center is a direct result of these exercises. This year’s off-post event is in a very visible field location at a busy time for emergency responders and on top of that, we are coordinating everything in a brand new building. We look forward to seeing how we handle the challenges all of those things present.”

The State Emergency Operations Center will also activate this afternoon in support of the full scale exercise.