Hurricane Loss Mitigation Construction Council Meeting Report: Feb. 25

On February 25, 2008, the Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program/Residential Construction Mitigation Program (“RCMP”) Advisory Council (“Council”) held a meeting to discuss the RCMP and review the following proposed Rules 9B-68.001: RCMP Certified Wind Mitigation Inspectors, 9B-68.002: RCMP Quality of Evaluation, 9B-68.003: RCMP Retrofit Techniques, and 9B-68.004: RCMP Qualified Applicants. Due to attendance issues, it was determined that discussion of these proposed Rules will be held at the Council’s Spring Meeting.

Shemeeka Hopkins, Community Assistance Consultant with the Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation, gave an overview of the RCMP. The RCMP receives $7 million annually from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. Forty percent of that funding is designated for the Mobile Home Tie-Down Program; ten percent is designated for hurricane research to be conducted by Florida International University; and fifty percent is designated to improve the wind resistance of residences through loans, subsidies, grants, demonstration projects, direct assistance, and cooperative programs with local and federal governments.

The annual budget is determined by the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, in consultation with the Council. All grants are awarded on a competitive basis using Notice of Funding Availability (“NOFA”) and Request for Proposal (“RFP”) processes. NOFAs are advertised in Florida Administrative Weekly and all RFPs are issued via the www.myflorida.com Web portal. Contracts and grants can begin at any time during a fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), but must end by the closure of the fiscal year in which the grant or the following contract is awarded. For more details about the RCMP, click here.

Quinton Williams from the Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation presented an overview of Pre-Disaster Mitigation Projects (“PDM”), which are mitigation grant programs designed to help communities prepare for a disaster. The federal government makes this funding available on a contingency basis. The maximum amount that may be awarded is $3 million for wind, drainage or planning purposes.

The federal government funds 75 percent of PDMs and local governments fund the remainder. Local governments may utilize land, services, and similar elements to make up their 25 percent contribution. As part of the application process, local governments compile a cost-benefit analysis of a project, after which the RCMP completes a separate analysis, and finally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) compiles a third cost-benefit analysis on all proposed projects.

All local governments, Indian tribes, state-run universities and governmental agencies are eligible for PDM funding. When the application process opens, FEMA advises the RCMP and, in turn, informs local governments. The RCMP compiles a list of all applications into one state application and submits the application to FEMA. FEMA then reviews that application, sends it to a regional review and then to a national review board. All applications must be filed to the RCMP electronically. In 2007, out of the $100 million available in total funds, the State of Florida received $500,000. To view FEMA guidelines regarding eligible projects, click here.

Following discussion on candidates for the 2009 review panel, a report on the state of mitigation in Florida was requested for presentation at the next Council meeting.

The meeting was then adjourned.

Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact this office.

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