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Mitigation - Repetitive Flood Claims Program

June 21, 2008

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM), which serves as the State Coordinating Agency for the National Flood Insurance, Flood Mitigation Assistance, Repetitive Flood Claims and Severe Repetitive Loss programs, is pleased to announce the opening of the application cycle under the Fiscal Year 2008, Flood Mitigation Assistance Program. The State of Florida anticipates being allocated $5+ million in project funds under the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Eligible applicants, local and Native American Tribal governments, must submit sub-applications to DEM by November 7, 2008, using FEMA's Electronic Grants Management System (E-Grants).

Eligible applicants are also required to perform and attach to the E-Grants sub-application a Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) ) in PDF and Excel formats for each project, including substantially damaged structures. Sub-applications which are fully eligible, technically feasible and cost-beneficial will be submitted to FEMA by November 7, 2008.

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program compliments the Repetitive Flood Claims Program. Therefore, for information on the Fiscal Year-2009, Repetitive Flood Claims Program notice of funding availability see the following webpage

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program compliments the Repetitive Flood Claims Program and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program. Therefore, for information on the Fiscal Year-2008, mitigation application cycles, eligible sub-applicants may request that their sub-applications also be considered for funding under other mitigation grant programs  such as the Repetitive Flood Claims Program notice of funding availability (see the following web page http://www.floridadisaster.org/Mitigation/RFCP),  or the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (please see the following webpage http://www.floridadisaster.org/Mitigation/PreDisaster). This may be accomplished by including a statement in the E-Grants sub-application under the “Comments for FEMA” field and indicating the name of the other program, as well as its Code of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number.

 

Authorization

The Repetitive Flood Claims Program is authorized under Section 1323 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 United States Code 4030), as amended by the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-264).  The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for the RFCP is 97.092. This program, along with the Flood Mitigation Assistance and the Severe Repetitive Loss programs, address the acute need to reduce claims from the National Flood Insurance Fund by reducing or eliminating the long-term risk of flood damage to structures.

Priority for grant assistance will be those structures on the severe repetitive loss list which are currently insured under the National Flood Insurance Program. Further prioritization will be to those individual projects that create the greatest savings to the National Flood Insurance Fund, based on cost-effectiveness as demonstrated through a Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) using the FEMA approved BCA Flood Modules. Copies of the BCA Toolkit, including the Flood Modules, may be downloaded at no cost. The BCA Helpline may be contacted by telephone (866.222.3580-toll free) or via e-mail ( mailto:bchelpline@dhs.gov).

 

State Role

Although the Repetitive Flood Claims Program is federally funded, the program is administered through a partnership with the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM), local and Native American Tribal governments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Division of Emergency Management (DEM) has the authority and responsibility for developing and maintaining a State Mitigation Plan, assisting local and Native American Tribal governments in developing and maintaining Flood Mitigation Plans, reviewing Repetitive Flood Claims Program sub-applications, recommending cost effective sub-applications to FEMA and providing pass-through grant funds to awarded Repetitive Flood Claims Program projects from eligible sub-applicants. The Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is also responsible for ensuring that projects funded by the Repetitive Flood Claims Program are completed and that all performance and financial reporting requirements are met.

The Fiscal Year 2008, Repetitive Flood Claims Program Guidance, which may be amended by the State of Florida , governs how projects are submitted and selected for funding. The success in reducing future flood insurance claims depends upon the ability of our local and Native American Tribal governments to develop, maintain, and implement long-term flood mitigation projects. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) will provide pass-through funds for approved projects that are the most cost-effective projects in reducing or eliminating future National Flood Insurance Fund claims.

Sub-Applicant Eligibility

Eligible sub-applicants are:

1. Local governments,
2. Native American Tribal governments,
3. State-level agency;
4. Participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Communities that are suspended or withdrawn from the National Flood Insurance Program are not eligible to receive Repetitive Flood Claims grant funds.

Project Eligibility

Repetitive Flood Claims grants are available to local and Native American Tribal governments, as well as state-level agencies to implement projects associated with currently insured structures that eliminate the risk of future flood damages and claims to the National Flood Insurance Fund based upon cost effectiveness as demonstrated through a Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA). The BCA must be conducted using a FEMA approved methodology and a copy in PDF and Excel formats attached to each sub-application. All projects must be within communities that are participating in the National Flood Insurance Program and conform to environmental laws, regulations and executive orders.

Application Process

Owners of structures, residential or non-residential, that have been previously flooded who desire to have their structure acquired should consult with their local or Native American Tribal government about submitting a sub-application on their behalf for Repetitive Flood Claims grant funds. Sub-applications must be submitted by an eligible applicant and they cannot be accepted directly from individuals, families or businesses. A sub-application for each project must be submitted to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) by December 21, 2007, for review and revision.

Fully eligible and cost beneficial sub-applications will be submitted to FEMA-Region IV by January 31, 2008. Additionally, the Division of Emergency Management requires that all sub-applications be submitted using the E-Grants System, and the local and Native American Tribal governments will perform and attach to the E-Grants application a Benefit Cost Analysis for each project.

Each local and Native American Tribal government will be required to register the following representatives in E-Grants:

• Register a representative(s) to create and edit project sub-applications; and
• Register a representative(s) to sign and submit the project sub-application. This representative may be the chief elected official or chief administrative official of the local or Native American Tribal government, or his/her designee. Documentation must be sent to the Florida Division of Emergency Management identifying this individual.
• The Sub-grant Applicant Quick Reference Guide is available at http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1816
• After reviewing the Application Process, click here to register for the E-Grants System: https://portal.fema.gov

Registration Instructions

1. Click on "New User ?" link to begin the registration process.
2. Follow screen instructions after clicking on New User and Submit. These require you to type the funny looking characters appearing on the screen.
3. Personal Information is entered on the next several screens; Special note: create a user name that is at least 7 characters and not more than 14 characters in length without any spaces, and all in lower case. Click on Submit when requested.
4. A new window will appear with the message Click here to request new privileges
5. Click on Mitigation egrants. The next screen will ask for "Access ID". Enter S12 (capital S) and submit.
6. The next screen confirms that registration is successful and you will see a message "Your request is being processed". This means that your request has been placed in the Egrant system approval queue. You will be notified via email once the DEM-FMAP staff has taken action on your request.
7. The applicant sends an email to DEM in care of Charles.Speights@EM.MyFlorida.com with the names and access rights (view/print, create/edit and sign/submit) of all users to be registered from the local government.

 

Guidance, Sub-Application, Benefit-Cost Analysis and Forms

Publications and information used in the Repetitive Flood Claims Program (RFC) are provided below:

Fiscal Year-2008, FMA Program Notification Memo (PDF)

Fiscal Year 2008, RFC Program Guidance http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/rfc/index.shtm

Repetitive Loss County Summary-Florida as of 9/30/07 (PDF)

FMA & RFC & SRL State Staff Territorial Assignments PDF )

Fiscal Year 2008, RFC Voluntary Participation Statement (Word)

Fiscal Year 2008, RFC Maintenance Agreement (Word)

Fiscal Year 2008, RFC Applicant and Sub-Applicant Agreement (Word)

Retrofitting and Flood Mitigation in Florida (PDF)

 

Mitigation - Benefit Cost Analysis Toolkit (260 MB WinZip Download)

Download Instructions:

1. Create a folder on your desktop called "Toolkit"
2. Click on the above link and select the download option.
3. Choose your desktop as the download location.
4. Right click on the downloaded WinZip file on your desktop.
5. Choose extratc to "Toolkit" folder on your desktop.
6. Open your "Toolkit" folder and double-click the file called "autorun.exe"

View More WinZip Instructions

 

All documents should be submitted to the Florida Division of Emergency Management at the following address:

State of Florida
Division of Emergency Management
Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee , Florida 32399-2500

Updated:
September 10, 2008 10:17