What is a hazard mitigation plan?

A hazard mitigation plan is a document put together by the community that recognizes the natural disaster risks and vulnerabilities common to the area and identifies strategies to reduce the loss of life and property in the community. Having a hazard mitigation plan shows residents that the jurisdiction is forward-thinking and trying to address potential problems in an area to make the community more resilient to future hazards and disasters. In most counties, there is one multi-jurisdictional plan that includes the county and the cities and ISDs within. Each named entity in the plan is able to use the plan and apply for grants independently of other jurisdictions if they wish.

This plan is put together by a Mitigation Action Team (MAT) made up of key players in the community, such as the Mayor/City Manager, Emergency Management Coordinator, Fire Chief, Law Enforcement, Public Works, Industry Stakeholders, and ISD Personnel. Once a plan has been created, it is sent to TDEM for review, and then to FEMA for approval. Each community's plan must be reviewed yearly and updated by a formal change every 5 years.

What does a hazard mitigation plan allow you to do?

The planning process brings together key players in the community to talk about the biggest threats to life and property the community faces and what can be done to mitigate those threats. Once the mitigation plan has been approved by FEMA and adopted by the jurisdiction's governing body, the community is able to apply for grants from the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to get these projects done. These grants are only available to jurisdictions with an active hazard mitigation plan, requiring an update at least every 5 years. The links below will take you to the PARIS document library where you can view each county's hazard mitigation plan. The projects listed in your county's current plan can be changed or deleted, or more projects added fairly easily. The priority ranking next to each item indicates which projects the community would see the most benefit from as determined by the MAT.

Hazard Mitigation Grants

Cities, counties, and school districts can apply for these grants to implement long-term mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the effects of hazards in their community. Each of these grants cover up to 75% of eligible costs with the other 25% coming from local funds. It is important to note that these grants take quite some time from application to the final project selection and even more time to see actual dollars. These are reimbursement grants so the grantee should be prepared to carry the costs of the project for a while until reimbursements are made. 

• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) - This grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster (like most hurricanes, the February winter storm, etc.) so the jurisdictions can rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future disaster losses in their communities. Although preference is given to communities directly affected by the disaster, your jurisdiction does not have to be directly affected to be eligible for funding. A percentage of the money coming into the state after a disaster from FEMA is set aside for mitigation projects, then after the immediate response and recovery is over, TDEM starts to take grant applications from all over the state for the mitigation money that was set aside.

• Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant – A competitive grant program that provides funding to states and local municipalities for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) – An annual grant program that supports states and local jurisdictions as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards. BRIC is a new FEMA pre-disaster hazard mitigation program that replaces the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program. Each year from September-December, local jurisdictions, school districts, and tribal communities send their applications in to the state for review. Each of these entities is considered a sub-applicant of the state. Once the state, TDEM in Texas’ case, has received all the applications, they will compile them and send in one state application to FEMA. Final project selections are released the following summer.

• Post-Fire Hazard Mitigation Grant Program – Available to state, local, and tribal governments, for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately-owned forests or grasslands. Before a grant can be awarded, a State must demonstrate that total eligible costs for the declared fire meet or exceed either the individual fire cost threshold (which applies to single fires) or the cumulative fire cost threshold (which recognizes numerous smaller fires burning within the state during a calendar year). Eligible firefighting costs may include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.

25% Local Match

Each of these grants covers up to 75% of the project cost, but the final 25% must come from local sources. This portion of the project costs can be covered a few different ways.

• Cash - Either from the jurisdiction's budget or donated from a third-party, cannot come from another federal grant or other federal money

• In-Kind Contributions - Non-cash contributions such as property, services, or equipment from the jurisdiction or donated by a third-party, if eligible, tracked and documented appropriately.

  • • To qualify as in-kind, the following conditions apply:

      • • Must be necessary and reasonable to accomplish the project's objectives

        • Cannot be from a Federal source

        • Cannot be program income (any unspent funds from another mitigation project cannot be used)

        • Cannot be used to match another Federal grant (no double allocations)

        • Must apply  to the cost-sharing requirement of the grant

    • Examples of in-kind contributions

      • • Public works employees grading and preparing the site for a stationary generator - hourly rate of employee and cost to operate equipment based on FEMA's equipment cost guidelines

        • Donated supplies, property, or buildings

        • Electrician donating their time and expertise to install wiring in a new community storm shelter