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Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance
Find resources to help interpret federal statutes, regulations and best practices about mitigation strategies.
FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs provide funding for eligible mitigation activities that reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).
This publication evaluates four HMA project types that are considered by FEMA to be high performing. These project types--Aquifer Storage and Recovery, Floodwater Diversion and Storage, Floodplain and Stream Restoration, and Low Impact Development/Green Infrastructure--are evaluated based on the HMA program requirements: technical feasibility and effectiveness; cost effectiveness; and Environmental and Historic Preservation requirement consistency. In addition, potential for program activity overlap with other federal agencies, known as Duplication of Programs, is examined with appropriate consideration of opportunities for federal agencies to successfully coordinate to fund these project types from more than one federal program.
Ecosystem Service Benefits in Benefit-Cost Analysis for FEMA’s Mitigation Programs Policy
FEMA Policy FP-108-024-02: This policy allows for ecosystem service benefits to be included in a mitigation project’s Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) regardless of the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR). Ecosystem service benefits are positive effects provided to people by nature, such as aesthetic value, air quality, recreation space, and water filtration.
By removing the previous BCR threshold, ecosystem service benefits can be used for all project types eligible under the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) and Public Assistance (PA) 406 mitigation programs that support the incorporation of ecosystem service benefits and result in the improvement of the natural environment.
This guidance applies to HMGP disasters declared on or after February 27, 2015, unless indicated otherwise. This guidance is also applicable to the PDM and FMA program.
This document identifies text replacements in the HMA Guidance established in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law No: 115-123) (BBA) regarding houses of worship eligibility as subapplicants under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). FEMA will make this change effective for all assistance provided in response to major disasters declared on or after August 23, 2017, or for any application for assistance under the PDM or FMA programs that were pending before FEMA as of February 9, 2018.
The purpose of this policy clarification is to implement policy changes in Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs based on requirements related to houses of worship established in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law No: 115-123) (BBA). The policy changes are as follows: (1) HMA will include a house of worship in the definition of a private nonprofit (PNP), distinct from other PNPs such as community centers; (2) a house of worship, with properly documented PNP status, will be eligible to receive HMGP funding as a subapplicant; (3) HMA will fund eligible mitigation activities for a house of worship, as it would for any eligible PNP facility, including retrofitting and elevation which primarily benefit the house of worship; and, (4) the definition of a private nonprofit organization (or facility) in the HMA Guidance (2015) at Part III.B (in box) and Part VIII.A.6 is changed from “essential governmental service(s)” to “essential social service(s)”.
Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance (2015) – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Management Costs (Interim) Policy Crosswalk
This document identifies text replacements in the HMA Guidance after the adoption of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Management Costs (Interim) FEMA Policy # 104-11-1.
This new policy issued in July 2017 provides program guidance about Hydraulic Fracturing and Horizontal Directional Drilling (hydraulic fracturing/HDD) as it relates to properties acquired by Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants for open space. FEMA reviewed activities occurring above-ground as well as below-ground to determine compatible use of the open space.
Hydraulic Fracturing and Horizontal Directional Drilling
This document identifies text replacements in the HMA Guidance after the adoption of Hazard Mitigation Assistance Acquisition Projects: Hydraulic Fracturing and Horizontal Directional Drilling (FEMA Policy 302-094-03 ). As of July 7, 2017, the policy is eligible for all HMA grants.
