FEMA announces $1.16 billion for FY 2021 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants
Key Takeaways
On August 9, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1.16 billion in FY 2021 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants. States and localities will be eligible to apply for Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and the new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) pre-disaster mitigation grants. The application period opens on September 30, 2021 and will close on January 28, 2022. To view the funding notices please visit Grants.gov.
$1 billion is made available for BRIC, which provides funding to states and localities to implement pre-disaster mitigation activities that reduce risk and disaster costs and increase the resilience of critical infrastructure lifelines. For FY21, the scoring criteria has been adjusted to incentivize mitigation actions that consider climate change and future conditions, populations impacted and economically disadvantaged communities.
FEMA is also making $160 million available through FMA grants to help localities implement changes to reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to structures insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. The program will use the Centers for Disease Controls’ Social Vulnerability Index as a selection factor in its competitive scoring process, which will prioritize applications from underserved communities.
FEMA will be offering a series of informational webinars for applications to provide an overview of the grant programs and details about the agency’s funding priorities and review process. For those interested in attending, you can check out the full webinar schedule at FEMA.gov and register for webinars of interest here.
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New disaster recovery grants now open to support county economic development
The U.S. Economic Development Administration has launched the Fiscal Year 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, making $1.45 billion available to help communities recover from natural disasters and build long-term economic resilience. Counties affected by major disaster declarations in 2023 or 2024 are eligible to apply for funding to rebuild infrastructure, strengthen local economies and prepare for future disruptions. This program goes beyond immediate recovery, aiming to transform local economies and foster sustainable, long-term economic growth.
Deadly tornadoes pummel counties across the South
Southern Kentucky counties bore the brunt of a May 16 tornado outbreak, with at least 17 fatalities confirmed as of last week in Laurel County alone.
Fire and emergency response grants now open for counties
On May 20, FEMA announced the opening of the Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program and the Fiscal Year 2024 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Program, which support fire departments and firefighter organizations in increasing staffing and improving safety nationwide.
County Countdown – May 19, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features reconciliation bill advancement, a FEMA reform proposal and more.
House draft bill text proposes FEMA reform package with major wins for counties
This week, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee released draft bill text for a sweeping Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reform package aimed at improving disaster response, streamlining aid and increasing local flexibility—reflecting many long-standing county priorities.
Eyes on the Surge: Harnessing AWARE Flood Sensors via NACo PPP–Safeware for Hurricane Readiness & Rapid Recovery
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
Discover how counties can deploy the AWARE Flood System—rugged, solar-powered IoT sensors available through the competitively bid NACo Public Promise Procurement Safeware contract—to turn rising water into actionable intelligence. We’ll show how each lightweight node tracks depth, temperature and barometric pressure, pushes real-time alerts over cellular or Iridium satellite link, and keeps reporting for seven days even without sunlight. Learn the simple “piggy-back” procurement steps inside Public Promise Procurement (PPP), funding streams that pair with FEMA categories and see a live dashboard demo that lets EOCs map flood conditions before, during and after landfall.
Faster, Smarter Disaster Relief: How LA County Used AI & Geospatial Mapping to Deliver $20M in Aid
Key Takeaways:
- Strategies for incorporating geospatial technology in disaster planning and response.
- Techniques for using identity verification tools to balance security and accessibility.
- Best practices for building public-private partnerships in times of crisis.