WASHINGTON – President Biden today approved more than $3.46 billion to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change nationwide. This significant investment will be available for natural hazard mitigation measures across the 59 major disaster declarations issued due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
With the growing climate change crisis facing the nation, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will provide funding to states, tribes, and territories for mitigation projects to reduce the impacts of climate change. Every state, tribe, and territory that received a major disaster declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible to receive 4% of those disaster costs to invest in mitigation projects that reduce risks from natural disasters. This influx of funding will help communities prioritize mitigation needs for a more resilient future, including underserved communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These projects can help address effects of climate change and other unmet mitigation needs, including using funds to promote equitable outcomes in underserved communities “The Department of Homeland Security is committed to helping build stronger and more resilient communities that are prepared for future disasters,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “States, tribes, territories, and localities will now receive the funding needed to treat the climate crisis with the sense of urgency it demands. Through this funding, communities across the nation will have the critical resources needed to invest in adaptation and resilience, and take meaningful action to combat the effects of climate change. This funding will also help to ensure the advancement of equity in all communities, especially those that are disproportionately at risk from climate change impacts.” "Climate change is our country’s biggest crisis. Our communities will continue to suffer from losses caused by extreme weather events unless we invest in mitigation efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. This new funding is a tangible solution that we can implement today to help prevent against future risk disasters. It will allow us to provide direct aid to states, tribes, and territories to complete mitigation projects, strengthen our infrastructure, identify long term solutions to these hazards and ultimately make a real difference in our communities,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
Communities across the country have been impacted by the enormous effects of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and other events. The increasing duration, intensity, and severity of such disasters—which are exacerbated by climate change as well as changes in population, land use, and weather patterns—are alarming and devastating, especially for underserved populations.
For eligible mitigation projects, HMGP funding can cover 75% of total project costs and states or communities cover the remaining share. Preparing and mitigating for the impacts of climate change, which is one of the most important threats facing the United States, requires the full collaboration of the Federal Government to support state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
The FEMA Mitigation Action Portfolio includes examples of innovative mitigation projects that address many types of natural hazards and emphasize the importance of collaboration between governments, private sector entities, and non-governmental organizations in order to achieve effective hazard mitigation and disaster resilience. For example, mitigation projects can: * Reduce risks associated with climate change, such as wildfires, drought, increased flooding, and coastal erosion, through the use of nature-based features, such as storm water parks, living shorelines, and land conservation.
* Address persistent residential vulnerabilities by mitigating repetitive loss structures affected by flooding.
* Help utilities or other critical facilities adapt to future conditions and reduce risks, through microgrids, seismic and wind retrofits, flood protection, and other infrastructure protection measures.
This one-time investment represents a 23% increase in the funding made available for declared disasters since the program’s inception. Over the past 30 years, this program has made more than $15 billion available to states, tribes, and territories to make communities more resilient and reduce risks from future disasters.
For more information, please visit FEMA.gov.
HMGP allocation by state, tribe, and territory: 4480DR New York $378,128,107 4481DR Washington $113,424,988 4482DR California $484,383,864 4483DR Iowa $19,463,694 4484DR Louisiana $78,005,056 4485DR Texas $666,134,283 4486DR Florida $185,056,086 4487DR North Carolina $63,758,987 4488DR New Jersey $148,647,976 4489DR Illinois $77,225,184 4490DR Missouri $25,107,641 4491DR Maryland $93,289,392 4492DR South Carolina $39,039,353 4493DR Puerto Rico $42,172,793 4494DR Michigan $51,792,820 4495DR Guam $6,052,983 4496DR Massachusetts $110,760,576 4497DR Kentucky $22,845,923 4498DR Colorado $70,395,919 4499DR Oregon $43,442,773 4500DR Connecticut $20,244,884 4501DR Georgia $78,691,416 4502DR District of Columbia $17,379,665 4503DR Alabama $27,226,688 4504DR Kansas $9,004,669 4505DR Rhode Island $26,828,651 4506DR Pennsylvania $63,714,713 4507DR Ohio $46,074,096 4508DR Montana $5,728,787 4509DR North Dakota $12,389,894 4510DR Hawaii $24,740,226 4511DR Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Island $3,133,540 4512DR Virginia $62,005,907 4513DR Virgin Islands $5,064,856 4514DR Tennessee $44,735,216 4515DR Indiana $25,472,504 4516DR New Hampshire $11,003,311 4517DR West Virginia $8,014,879 4518DR Arkansas $4,191,937 4520DR Wisconsin $32,749,999 4521DR Nebraska $18,073,516 4522DR Maine $4,726,703 4523DR Nevada $16,301,258 4524DR Arizona $40,260,428 4525DR Utah $25,112,074 4526DR Delaware $6,500,644 4527DR South Dakota $3,276,898 4528DR Mississippi $25,887,599 4529DR New Mexico $11,775,469 4530DR Oklahoma $10,562,604 4531DR Minnesota $17,566,656 4532DR Vermont $13,396,387 4533DR Alaska $4,886,382 4534DR Idaho $11,406,627 4535DR Wyoming $1,707,575 4537DR American Samoa $702,400 4545DR Seminole Tribe of Florida $462,364 4582DR Navajo Nation $322,578 4591DR Poarch Band of Creek Indians $168,000
