River and Floodplain Management Grants Program

Grant News

Due to the severe storm that led to widespread flooding, landslides, and high winds in Washington during the period of January 6 – 16, 2009, President Obama, issued a major disaster declaration for portions of the State of Washington on January 30, 2009.

As a result of the disaster declaration, local jurisdictions within the state are eligible to apply for funding under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is a Federal program that seeks to mitigate damages that might result from future disasters. Projects proposed under the HMGP must offer a cost-effective approach to reducing hazard vulnerability and the potential of future disaster-related damages.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides 75% of the project funding, with the remaining 25% consisting of a local match. The state of Washington typically provides half of the local match, which requires state legislative authorization. King County has historically submitted HMGP applications to fund home elevations and home buyouts. Based on the severity of the flooding in January 2009, King County is proposing to apply to the HMGP to fund the acquisition of substantially damaged residential structures countywide.

Applications for the current HMGP cycle are due to the Washington State Emergency Management Division on August 7, 2009, at which point the State will rank all submitted applications and make funding recommendations to FEMA.

King County, on behalf of the King County Flood Control District and in coordination with the City of Snoqualmie, will hold the following public meeting to discuss the HMGP program and to seek public input on project alternatives:

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Mt. Si High School Auditorium
8651 Meadowbrook Way S.E.
Snoqualmie, WA 98065

You are welcome to attend this meeting, or you can contact Priscilla Kaufmann at 206-205-0598 for more information or to provide comments on this proposal.

Grants Program

Grants from a variety of sources are pursued to fund flood hazard reduction projects and programmatic activities that mitigate flooding problems throughout the county. The majority of grant-funded projects target repetitively-flooded areas. Each grant program is slightly different and contains its own unique set of guidelines.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) is only available following a presidential disaster declaration. The State of Washington became eligible for this program following the December 2007 severe storm and flooding disaster, and King County recently submitted two HMGP applications for funding consideration. One of the applications proposes to elevate structures located within flood hazard areas on the lower Snoqualmie River in the vicinity of Snoqualmie River Road and on Kimball Creek in the vicinity of the City of Snoqualmie. The second grant seeks to acquire, from willing sellers, repetitively-flooded homes on the South Fork Skykomish River, the Cedar River, and Kimball Creek. Both grants include seventy-five percent federal funding and require a twenty-five percent local fund match, half of which will be covered by the State of Washington.

We will be in direct communication with property owners included in our grant applications, but you may also check this website periodically for updates related to our active grant applications.

2008 HMGP

• June 30, 2008 – Applications submitted to Washington State Emergency Management Division (EMD) for preliminary review
• December 7, 2008 – Applications recommended for funding by EMD must be sent to FEMA for final review by this date
• Mid – Late 2009 – Grants awarded

2007 FMA

The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program offers grant funding to reduce or eliminate flood claims under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). King County submitted an FMA grant in February 2007 to elevate structures in three repetitive loss areas. The status of this grant is outlined below:

• One home elevation completed
• Two home elevations under construction
• Two home elevations and one barn elevation under permit review
• One home elevation in plan preparation
• Grant being revised to add two alternate projects
• March 1, 2009 – Grant project completion deadline

Recent Grant Submittals

In June 2008, FEMA began accepting applications for their hazard mitigation assistance grants. King County’s River and Floodplain Management Unit submitted two applications for grant funding by the December 1 deadline, and the applications were filed under the following two programs:

· Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) – Funds hazard mitigation planning and mitigation project implementation prior to a disaster event.

http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pdm/index.shtm

· Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) – Funds the implementation of activities that seek to reduce the long-term flood risk to buildings insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program.

http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/fma/index.shtm

One application was submitted for consideration under the PDM program, and this application proposes to purchase two homes from willing sellers along the Snoqualmie River in the vicinity of Fall City. The properties are adjacent, and both homes are considered by FEMA to be “repetitive loss”—a designation that arises as a result of past flooding damages. Home buyouts conducted in accordance with the PDM guidelines require a twenty-five percent local fund match, which will be funded by the King County Flood Control District.

A second grant application was submitted for consideration under both the PDM program and the FMA program, and the proposal in this application is to elevate four residential structures at least three feet above the elevation of the 100-year, or 1% chance, flood. The elevation projects are located in four separate geographic areas: 1) on the Lower Snoqualmie River in the vicinity of Duvall, 2) on Kimball Creek in the vicinity of the City of Snoqualmie, 3) along the South Fork Snoqualmie River in the vicinity of North Bend, and 4) along a tributary of the South Fork Skykomish River in the Town of Skykomish. One of these properties is considered “severe repetitive loss” and another is considered “repetitive loss.” All four homes are in areas of high flood risk. A twenty-five percent local fund match is also required for this proposal, and for home elevations the matching funds are the responsibility of the property owner.

For more information about the River and Floodplain Management grants program, please contact Jason Wilkinson at Jason.wilkinson@kingcounty.gov.