Why connect with your State Hazard Mitigation Office (SHMO)? - Info for State Nonpoint Source Coordinators - Benefits to integrating Watershed Plans with Hazard Mitigation Plans are potential funding and more. Background: States and cities prepare FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMP) to be eligible for FEMA grants. Projects need to be consistent with the Plan to be eligible for funding. They address all hazards. Flooding, erosion, and drought are key elements. There is an opportunity for funding nonpoint source projects that also provide hazard mitigation benefits, if plan priorities align, a planning partnership of hazard risk reduction with watershed and water quality improvement could emerge. Why now? Updated FEMA (201 5-1 6) guidance encourages planning for resilience and mitigation, and allows ecosystem benefits in the benefit/cost test for project eligibility. Watershed planning (i.e. CWA 31 9/TMDL) and projects are eligible for FEMA grants to the extent they mitigate hazards such as flooding and drought. FEMA grant types: 1) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program', long-term planning/projects following a presidential disaster declaration; 2) Flood Mitigation Assistance: Projects to reduce risk of flood damage to buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program; 3) Pre-disaster Mitigation - funds for planning. Get Started: Meet with the SHMO about the Clean Water Act 31 9/TMDLs watershed planning program, and the benefits to communities of integrating watershed plans in the HMP. Encourage the SHMO to include genera! information in the state HMP (i.e. program existence and benefits of integration). Local governments will see that when they prepare their detailed plans. Most states have a Federal Interagency team supporting the State on HMPs (the "Silver Jackets"); this may be a good way to meet all the Federal agency staff representatives that assist the state on hazard mitigation planning. Your state may already participate: see below. Share the benefits to communities for integrating watershed planning with FEMA hazard planning: 1) Better results and more efficient planning can occur if watershed planning is part of the hazard analysis, and optimal results for water quality, floodplain management, and hazard risk reduction can be achieved. 2) FEMA funding may be available water quality projects also mitigate hazards; and identifying the ecosystem services value of proposed buyouts may increase the number of properties eligible. FINAL: 12-7-2018 ------- 3) More opportunity for green infrastructure solutions to hazards may result from working together, 4) Reduced flood insurance rates for communities that adopt stormwater policies that reduce risk, including green infrastructure and watershed planning. The EPA Fact Sheet below lists the "green" discounts and should be shared with your SHMO as well as with communities looking to reduce flood insurance costs. 5) Potentially meet requirements for reducing water quality impairments faster by management with other risks. How does the NPS Coordinator locate the State Hazard Mitigation Office? Consult this link to find your SHMO: http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitiqation-officers How can I see if my State's Agencies' are already on a team with the State Hazard Mitigation Office? The USACE sponsors SHMO-led teams, called the Silver Jackets. Consult this link to find your Silver Jackets team http://silveriackets.nfrmp.us/State-Teams More background documents: Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance: https://www.fema.aov/media-librarv/assets/documents/103279: FEMA Benefit-Cost Analysis: https: / /www.fema.aov/benefit-cost-analvsis ¦ ¦ I For your local FEMA office: www.fema.gov/regional-contact-information Fact Sheets for distribution prepared by EPA on these programs: https://www.epa.gov/nps/usina-low- impacwLy/plripmgnt-and-areen-infrastructure-aet-benefits-fema-proarams FINAL: 12-7-2018 ------- |