New Hazard Mitigation Funding Opportunity

I want to let you all know about an upcoming deadline for hazard mitigation grants in Texas. Below is a link to the federal declaration for the wildfire disaster (DR-4029) in September with a note about the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). While only the counties affected by wildfires are eligible for public assistance, all counties in Texas are eligible for hazard mitigation funding for any natural hazard. Please tell your project managers, so that they may be able to take advantage of this opportunity, whether it is for new hazard mitigation projects or for resubmitting previously denied grant applications. This is your chance to further protect your facilities!

http://www.fema.gov/news/dfrn.fema?id=16897

The deadline to submit a Notice of Interest is December 2, 2011, and the deadline to submit the application is March 23, 2012. These grants are a 75/25 cost share with FEMA, but I always remind my clients that the grants usually cross into several fiscal budget cycles, so the 25% can be partially funded each year until the total is reached. Below are the contacts with the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) that run the HMGP program in Austin. They both know me well from the work I did at Rice University and can provide you with more information, as well as put you in contact with your local TDEM officer. As always, if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mr. Greg Pekar
State Hazard Mitigation Section Administrator
(512) 424-2429
gregory.pekar@txdps.state.tx.us

Ms. Hildy Soper
Mitigation Grants Officer
(512) 424-2454
hildy.soper@txdps.state.tx.us