Item 35 - FY 2022 Emergency Management Performance Grant

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23 All non-critical new construction or substantial improvement of structures in a Special Flood Hazard Area must, at a minimum, apply the flood elevations of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach unless doing so would cause the project to be unable to meet applicable program cost-effectiveness requirements. All other types of projects may choose to apply the flood elevations of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach. See Executive Order (EO) 14030, Climate-Related Financial Risk and FEMA Policy #-206-21-0003, Partial Implementation of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard for Hazard Mitigation Assistance Programs (Interim). The Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) manages and administers FEMA’s preparedness and non-disaster grants and consolidates the grant business operations, systems, training, policy, and oversight of all FEMA grants. All GPD actions, including grant-funded actions, must comply with National Flood Insurance Program criteria or any more restrictive federal, state, or local floodplain management standards or building code (44 CFR § 9.11(d)(6)). All GPD-funded non-critical actions in 1% annual chance floodplains (also known as 100-year floodplains) that involve new construction or substantial improvement of structures must be elevated, at a minimum, to the lower of: •Two feet above the 1% annual chance flood elevation (also known as the base flood elevation), in accordance with the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) “Freeboard Value Approach” (FVA); or •The 0.2% annual chance flood elevation. Where 0.2% annual chance flood elevations are not available, such actions must be elevated to at least two feet above the 1% annual chance flood elevation. All GPD-funded critical actions in 0.2% annual chance floodplains (also known as 500-year floodplains) that involve new construction or substantial improvement of structures must be elevated, at a minimum, to the higher of: •Three feet above the 1% annual chance flood elevation; or •The 0.2% annual chance flood elevation. Where 0.2% annual chance flood elevations are not available, such actions must be elevated to at least three feet above the 1% annual chance flood elevation. See Executive Order (EO) 11988, Floodplain Management, as amended by EO 13690, Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input. Recipients and subrecipients proposing projects that have the potential to impact the environment, including, but not limited to, the construction of communication towers, modification or renovation of existing buildings, structures, and facilities, new construction, including replacement of facilities, and some training activities, must participate in the FEMA EHP review process. The EHP review process involves the submission of a detailed project description along with any supporting documentation requested by FEMA in order to determine whether the proposed project has the potential to impact environmental resources or historic properties. In some cases, FEMA is also required to consult with other regulatory agencies and the public in order to complete the review process. The EHP review process must be completed before funds are released to carry out the proposed project; otherwise, FEMA may not be able to fund the project due to noncompliance with EHP laws, Executive Orders, regulations, and policies. DHS and FEMA EHP policy is found in directives and instructions available on Environmental and Historic Preservation Guidance for FEMA Grant Applications, the FEMA website page that includes