The Texas Division of Emergency Management Mitigation Section

1. CODES, POWER, AND WARNING LITTLE KNOWN MITIGATION GRANTS The Texas Division of Emergency Management Mitigation Section

2. Disaster

3. Programs Not all programs are activated for every disaster – depends on the needs that are uncovered during the PDA. • Individual Assistance (IA) – Individuals & Households i.e. temporary housing, repairs, small business administration disaster loans, other needs assistance. • Public Assistance (PA) – Assistance for certain emergency services. i.e. debris removal, emergency protective measures, and permanent rebuilding of damaged infrastructure such as roads, bridges, public utilities, public buildings, parks. • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

4. MITIGATION DEFINED: Sustained actions taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from hazards and their effects. • Long-term solution • To protect people and structures • Reduce the cost of disaster response and recovery

5. MITIGATION BENEFITS • Creates safer communities • Promotes sound development • Helps minimize damages to personal property and public infrastructure • Speeds recovery Mitigation activities can make a substantial difference in the quality of a community. Safer communities avoid more personal injury, death, saves money and resources.

6. Emergency Event • Response • Recovery • Preparedness Mitigation Where does mitigation fit in?

7. Question ????? What is the #1 hazard in Texas?

8. TOP TEXAS THREATS • Flooding (48% of our disaster declarations) • Hurricane and tropical storms (26%) • High winds and tornadoes (19%) • Wildfire and drought • Winter ice storms

9. FEMA GRANT PROGRAMS Flood Mitigation • FMA – Flood Mitigation Assistance • RFC – Repetitive Flood Claims • SRL – Severe Repetitive Loss All Hazard Mitigation • PDM – Pre-Disaster Mitigation • HMGP – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

10. HMGP Sub-Applicants • State Agencies • Local Governments • Federally Recognized Indian Tribes • Private Non-Profits • Special Districts (e.g. some drainage districts)

12. * *

13. Post-Disaster Code Enforcement • Limited to the declared areas only • Available for the first 6 months after a disaster declaration • Projects that support post disaster rebuilding

14. Post-Disaster Code Time Limit State application period typically closes 6-7 months after the declaration date so this type of project should be requested immediately after a major disaster declaration. Do NOT go through the normal application process. Work with your State Mitigation Officer/Department.

15. Post-Disaster Code –Extraordinary Needs • Extraordinary needs associated with building code enforcement during post disaster reconstruction • Such as post event building inspections & substantial damage estimates – typically performed by building departments as routine operations • What makes them extraordinary is the volume

16. Post-Disaster Code Costs • Costs above normal operations costs of the most recent 12 month period that does not include any Federal, State or local disaster • Additional costs required to ensure mitigation based codes are implemented during disaster reconstruction • Payroll • Office expenses • Additional equipment rentals • Transportation

17. Post-Disaster Code Grant Offsets • Inspection Fees • Permit Fees These are your normal fees and should be deducted from the grant whether collected or not.

18. State eligibility assessment • Eligibility requires a State assessment • Are local adopted building codes and zoning regulations in place? • Do they adequately address the local natural hazard risk? • Are they consistent with the recent edition of the International Code Series – State model or mandated building codes? • NFIP – if community is participating do they meet the NFIP minimum requirements? Verification from State Floodplain Manager required.

19. State eligibility assessment continued… • Does the current building department have sufficient organization, inspection and enforcement processes during normal operations? • Are you currently providing required inspections and are they being enforced under normal operations? • Locals must agree to address any identified deficiencies as a condition of the grant in a simple agreement • Must include an implementation strategy acceptable to FEMA, State and Sub-grantee. • Must include a penalty for non-compliance such as loss of funding.

20. Assessment tools Pre-Disaster • Mutual Aid Agreements with other communities for building code enforcement support • Contractual agreements with: State/Regional government Model building code organizations (Shows good local planning.) Post Disaster • Temporary building code experts • FEMA staff Assistance • Hazard Mitigation Technical Assistance Program (HMTAP) • FEMA provides Substantial Damage Estimator training and assistance as needed.

21. Recap … • Only in the first 6 months • State assessment • Extraordinary costs to ensure mitigation based rebuilding We have not been taking advantage of this program. Extraordinary costs are normally encountered in large disasters but by ensuring sufficient expertise is on hand for appropriate codes, permitting and NFIP local ordinance compliance – we would be rewarded with sound mitigation based reconstruction. How great would that be?

22. Initiative Projects • Projects that are difficult to conduct a standard Benefit Cost Analysis that would prove cost effectiveness. • Warning systems • Generators • Outreach/public awareness programs about mitigation For example - we know a warning light at a low water crossing will save some lives – but we cannot prove it through standard BCA methodologies.

23. Most competitive portion of our grant DR-1999 = $752,664 Initiative funding Statewide

24. Criteria • Not an at will program – these projects must be consistent with the goals and objectives of the State and local Hazard Mitigation Plans and meet all other HMGP program requirements. • Statement of cost effectiveness must be provided • BCA failure does not make it an eligible initiative project A regular project that cannot provide a BCR of 1 or better is not an eligible initiative project.

25. Remote Automated Weather Station Initiative project for Texas Forest Service

27. Generators • Prefer you go with natural gas or propane fired versus diesel • Application packet for generators only – 1 generator per application • Fund continuity of government • Fire • EMS • Police • City Hall • EOC

28. Texas panhandle gets emergency notification program • Posted: Jan 16, 2012 10:08 PM CST Updated: Jan 16, 2012 10:08 PM CST • http://www.newschannel10.com/story/16531900/texas-panhandle-gets-emergency-notification-program • AMARILLO, Texas - Whether you are at home, at work, or on the road, Resolve To Be Ready is designed to alert you about city maintenance and emergencies. • The new notification system is being funded by FEMA and sends alerts throughout the panhandle for a number of things ranging from water main breaks to wildfire warnings. It also allows you to receive alerts from the national weather service. • John Kiehl with the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission says, with the new program, now the alerts can follow you. • "They're going to want this type of system in place because they want that message to reach them wherever they're at." Kiehl said. "They don't necessarily have to be standing by a TV or a radio or by a siren to get the alert. Now, this alert follows them wherever they happen to be." • The program allows you to customize what alerts you receive. If you have loved ones living in a different part of the panhandle, you can make sure they are safe by receiving alerts from where they live. • If you'd like to sign up, you can click on the provided link.Resolve To Be Ready

29. Go learn more about this! This is a huge system in the Texas Panhandle – Thursday at 10:00 (Mitigation Track Room 216 A) – John Kiehl from PRPC is giving a great presentation on this amazing system – we want to do more projects like this !

30. Hays County Low Water Crossing

32. Types of HMGP Projects • Acquisition/demolition • Small scale structural drainage • Retrofits • Individual Safe Rooms • Community Safe Rooms • Elevations • Public Awareness • Early Warning Systems • Reverse 911 Systems • Local Mitigation Plan development • Dry Flood proofing • Wildfire Mitigation • Post Disaster Code Enforcement

33. Projects must: • Solve a problem • Be technically feasible • Be cost effective • Substantially reduce future risk • Be environmentally sound • Conform with Local and State mitigation plans & program requirement.

34. What is a ‘good’ project? • Good projects take planning and preparation. • True mitigation funds projects, not ideas. • Can an uninvolved party: • Draw a dimensional picture of your project • Identify environmental issues • Verify cost effectiveness and engineering feasibility • Outsiders must be able to clearly understand your project

35. Galveston Hurricane 1900 • Photo courtesy of the Rosenburg Library, Galveston, Texas.

36. Estimated between 6,000-12000 people were killed by this hurricane.

37. How did they mitigate ?

39. What do you think? • What could they have done to make a difference in saving lives and property? • Warning system • What did they do? • Post disaster code enforcement? Home elevations • Seawall • Elevated the island

40. Mitigation Contacts:

43. Questions?