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Bringing the Gulf Coast Up to Speed

The 2005 hurricane season shattered records and homes, but not the spirit of Gulf Coast residents. Many people returned to their homes or bare home sites, and their communities are helping them to rebuild more safely. FEMA is there to support these efforts by offering a wide variety of mitigation and planning assistance to local governments in the best of times, and in the worst of times.

Planning and Mitigation Assistance

The Community Assistance Program, State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE), is a product-oriented, Federally-funded financial assistance program intended to help states identify, prevent, and resolve floodplain management issues in NFIP-participating communities before a flood event.

FEMA Regional Offices and the designated state agency negotiate a CAP-SSSE Agreement that specifies activities and products to be delivered by a state in return for CAP-SSSE funds. Some of the fundable CAP activities have included assistance to local governments in the development of local floodplain ordinances, Community Assistance Visits and Community Assistance Contacts, General Technical Assistance, and assistance to communities in responding to disasters like Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

Performance standards that address quality of service are developed by each state. There is a 25-percent non-federal match for all states receiving CAP-SSSE funds.

You can find out more about this program on FEMA's CAP webpage. The FEMA website also includes information about the types of floodplain management activities that states are implementing to ensure the flood loss reduction goals of the NFIP.

HMGP Helps Rebuild Gulf Coast Communities

The Gulf Coast's recovery from the 2005 hurricane season has offered FEMA an opportunity to work with states and communities to incorporate mitigation measures directly into the recovery process, thus creating communities that will be more disaster resistant in the future.

FEMA is providing the State of Louisiana with an estimated $1.57 billion in mitigation grant funding. In Mississippi, more than $429 million has been obligated for post-disaster mitigation projects, including costly code enforcement activities, through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

FEMA has approved a $14 million project developed by Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina that will improve enforcement of the newly adopted International Building Code throughout the state.

In Mississippi, the cities of Moss Point and Pearl River have received HMGP grants to support code enforcement activities after Hurricane Katrina. Visit FEMA's HMGP webpage for more information about these and other code enforcement activities.

The severe damage from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma proved too extensive to be addressed by traditional mitigation measures. Additional methods to mitigate the potential for future damages were necessary. Following are examples of two new FEMA mitigation funding initiatives.

FEMA established the HMGP Mitigation Reconstruction Grant Pilot to provide another mitigation option throughout the recovery process. Eligible activities under this pilot program include the demolition of an existing flood-damaged building and the construction of an elevated building on the same site. All reconstruction activities funded through this pilot will be required to adhere to specific standards to ensure protection against flood and wind related hazards.

FEMA has developed the HMGP Expanded Mitigation Strategies Planning Grant Pilot to assist applicants in identifying specific mitigation projects, evaluating their cost effectiveness, addressing potential environmental issues, and determining the technical feasibility of projects.

Mitigation Encouraged

FEMA and the NFIP will continue to support local mitigation activities in all areas, those hit by catastrophic storms as well as those affected by less damaging floods. It is our mission to keep the nation's communities strong and to help bring them back after disasters.

FEMA's Mitigation Grant Programs

Mitigation grant programs include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program, the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, the Severe Repetitive Loss Pilot Program and, soon, the Repetitive Flood Claims Program.

The Risk Reduction Division is currently working to unify the hazard mitigation assistance programs to bring greater consistency in program policies. The Division is simplifying the application and eligibility determination process. Program implementation and management also will be streamlined.

For more information, visit the floodplain management and the mitigation grant program pages on FEMA's website, or contact your state's Hazard Mitigation Officer. A complete list of officers and their contact information is available at the State Hazard Mitigation Officer page of the FEMA website.

Last updated on August 1, 2007