ELIGIBLE SUB-APPLICANTS

DATE ANNOUNCED: July 25, 2011

FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR: Developing and Updating Hazard Mitigation Plans & Implementing Hazard Mitigation Projects

LETTERS OF INTENT DUE: Friday, August 19, 2011 by 5:00 pm

The New York State Office of Emergency Management (State OEM) is pleased to announce the availability of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) FY 2012 Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Program grants to qualified sub-applicants in New York State. (Page numbers used below refer to FEMA's June 1, 2010 "Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance" document, which remains valid for this year's grant cycle and can be found on State OEM's website and with this mailing.)

What is the Unified HMA Program?

The Unified HMA Program consolidates the deadlines and many of the procedures for the four FEMA mitigation grant programs that are run annually and are not tied to Presidential declarations:

• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM)

• Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA)

• Repetitive Flood Claims Program (RFC)

• Severe Repetitive Loss Program (SRL)

Unified HMA Program funds can be used to draft or update a mitigation plan or carry out a mitigation project. Unlike the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) made available within New York State after a Presidential declaration (see below), subapplicants for the Unified HMA Program compete for awards with subapplicants from all 50 states, 7 territories and the District of Columbia.

This consolidation simplifies the grant process with one on-line subapplication and deadline for all programs, and subapplications not funded under the requested grant program may be considered by FEMA under another mitigation grant program without requiring a subapplicant to reapply. While the majority of the requirements are the same for all four programs, there are differences with regard to items like subapplicant eligibility and cost-share requirements as outlined in FEMA's June 1, 2010 "Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance."

Are These HMGP Grants?

These funds are not part of the Disasters DR-1957, "Severe Winter Storms and Snow Storms" declared on February 18, 2011 or DR-1993, "Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and straight-line Winds" declared June 10, 2011. Those HMGP cycles will be announced soon, will provide grants for mitigation plans and projects, and will be made available statewide to subapplicants in declared and undeclared counties. Check OEM's website www.dhses.ny.gov regularly for current information and deadlines.

Where Can I Get Information?

Information about the Unified HMA Program has been provided to County Emergency Managers, Mitigation Coordinators and Planners, as well as regional and metropolitan planning organizations, soil and water conservation districts, and other mitigation stakeholders and partners.

Information is also available from State OEM's Regional Offices, on our website www.dhses.ny.gov and on FEMA's website at http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/hma/index.shtm

Pre-Disaster Mitigation: Guidance pp. 25 & 59, & www.fema.gov/government/grant/pdm

Flood Mitigation Assistance: Guidance pp. 26 & 61, & www.fema.gov/government/grant/fma

Repetitive Flood Claims: Guidance pp. 26 & 62, & www.fema.gov/government/grant/rfc

Severe Repetitive Loss: Guidance pp. 26 & 63, & www.fema.gov/government/grant/srl

Mitigation Planning Grants

Subapplicants requesting hazard mitigation project grants under all programs except RFC must have a valid FEMA-approved all-hazards mitigation plan at the time of grant submission to FEMA and at the time of award (Guidance pg. 19). In the Unified HMA Program, only the PDM program provides grants for writing or updating mitigation plans.

Planning subapplications should provide a good description of the planning process to be used in creating or updating the plan, including the jurisdictions to be covered, what will be done, how it will be done, and who will be responsible for completing each step. Subapplicants should also familiarize themselves with the requirements of FEMA's July 1, 2008 "Local Multi-hazard Mitigation Planning Assistance" document, which is available online at www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3336.

Important Requirements

All subapplicants for planning and project grants should carefully review the following sections of FEMA's June 1, 2010 "Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance:

• Part 1.B, "Additional Program Information" (Guidance pg. 3), which explains the guidance document's format;

• Funding restrictions for each of the four Unified HMA Programs: PDM (Guidance pg. 25) and FMA, RCC and SRL (Guidance pg. 26);

• Program requirements for each of the four Unified HMA Programs: PDM (Guidance pg. 59), FMA (Guidance pg. 61), RFC (Guidance pg. 62) and SRL (Guidance pg. 63);

• Eligible activities (Guidance pp. 11-16), including activities that are eligible only when included as a functional component of eligible mitigation activities (Guidance pg. 12);

• Ineligible activities (Guidance pg. 16).

Eligible sub-applicants include State-level agencies, State institutions, local governments, federally-recognized Indian Tribal governments, public or Tribal colleges and universities, and private non-profit organizations that provide a government-like service. Eligible sub-applicants can generally apply on behalf of ineligible applicants (e.g., private institutions and property owners) in their jurisdiction.

An applicant or project type may not be eligible for all four programs. Applicants must review the requirements for each program carefully and complete the Letter of Intent (LOI), selecting only the programs for which they are eligible. Applicants will not be considered for programs they do not select.

The RFC Program does not have a plan requirement. Sub-applicants for project grants under all other programs must have their own FEMA-approved and adopted multi-hazard mitigation plan in place by the time State OEM submits its application to FEMA (December 2, 2011) and by time of grant award (generally April 2012 or thereafter), or must have participated in a multi-jurisdictional plan that has been approved and adopted by these dates.

Otherwise eligible sub-applicants without a plan may also apply under the PDM Program for a planning grant to develop or update their multi-hazard mitigation plan (see above).

Sub-applicants must file their applications using FEMA's electronic grants (e-Grants) system located at https://portal.fema.gov. After completing the pre-registration process, sub-applicants must notify State OEM to have their access validated. Sub-applicants will have to provide State OEM with an original and two paper copies of any supporting documentation that cannot be electronically attached to the e-Grant application.

Applying for Multiple Programs

FEMA may fund otherwise eligible subapplications submitted but not funded under a requested grant program under any of the other three. Sub-applicants interested in this option must:

• Select the appropriate program(s) and provide all information requested on the LOI and submit to State OEM;

• Address eligibility requirements of the alternate programs in their subapplication in order to ensure that it can be considered for all available funding options;

• Include a statement in their application under the "Comments for FEMA" field indicating their interest in having their sub-applications considered for other mitigation grant programs;

• Specify the additional mitigation grant programs and the corresponding Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers. CFDA numbers are listed on pg. i, and specific guidance is contained on Guidance pg. 27).

Important Deadlines

LOIs must be faxed to 518-322-4983 or emailed to [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 19, 2011.

Interested subapplicants must use the FY 2012 Unified HMA Program LOI form. Previous LOIs and letter requests will not be considered.

Eligible sub-applicants are encouraged to submit their LOIs well before the deadline: this will maximize your ability to work with State OEM to develop a viable application for one or more of the programs, which are evaluated competitively on a national basis.

Sub-applications that meet all program requirements will become part of State OEM's application to FEMA. For State OEM to review applications, complete the required benefit-cost analyses and environmental reviews, and submit its application by FEMA's December 2, 2011 deadline, initial sub-applications should be submitted to State OEM by Friday, September 26, 2011. However, eligible sub-applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications well before the deadline in order to develop a nationally competitive application.

State OEM may also make available funds for State agencies to implement mitigation measures identified in the "New York State Standard Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan." LOIs and program guidance are available as noted in "Where to Get Information" above.

Information Dissemination

To disseminate program information to the widest possible eligible audience, State OEM has placed program information on its website and those of various mitigation and agency partners, and requests that County Emergency Managers and Mitigation Coordinators forward this information to all municipalities, Tribal Nations, and colleges and universities within their counties. Jurisdictions with FEMA-approved All-Hazard Mitigation Plans (or which are nearing completion of such plans) are encouraged to submit project applications. Similarly, all recipients of this letter and its attachments are encouraged to share this information with any potential eligible applicant.

If you have questions or need further information, please visit www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/mitigation or telephone Richard Lord, State OEM's Chief of Mitigation Programs at (518) 292-2304.