Letter to Louisiana Local Elected Officials - Higgins Encourages Local Officials to Fully Utilize Disaster Mitigation Grant Programs

Letter

Local Elected Officials,
As South Louisiana continues to recover from a year of devastating natural disasters, I
am writing to inform you of federal grant opportunities that can help our communities rebuild.

We must work together to address long-standing drainage, water management, and flood
mitigation needs. While my office continues to push for supplemental disaster assistance at the
federal level, many federal grant programs are already approved and available. This includes
standing FEMA grant programs and disaster-specific resources authorized in response to
Hurricane Laura (DR-4559-LA), Hurricane Delta (DR-4570-LA), severe winter storms
(DR-4590-LA), and recent severe storms and flooding (DR-4606-LA).

Though these resources have been made available, it is incumbent upon state and local
officials to apply for these grants. If you have not already, I urge you to aggressively pursue
these resources. I am providing a list of relevant programs and links to additional information
below. Should you apply for these federal grants, please notify my office
at https://clayhiggins.house.gov/services/grant-support-requests. We stand ready to assist you in pushing through any grant, reimbursement, or funding application that is pending at the federal level.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP):

FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial
governments so they can rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future disaster losses in their communities. This grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster. More
information can be found at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/hazard-mitigation.

Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA):

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding
to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes, and territories. Funds can be used for
projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the
National Flood Insurance Program. More information can be found
at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/floods.

Building Resilient Infrastructure & Communities (BRIC):

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities will support states, local communities, tribes,
and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from
disasters and natural hazards. BRIC is a new FEMA pre-disaster hazard mitigation program that
replaces the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program. More information can be found
at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities.

Public Assistance Programs:

FEMA helps state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and certain types of private nonprofit
organizations respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. After an event like a
hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or wildfire, communities need help to cover their costs for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure.
Applicants are highly encouraged to submit their forms through the online FEMA Grants Portal
for faster processing. More information can be found at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public.

In addition to the above programs, the federal government offers a wide range of funding
for state and local communities. You can find a more extensive list of grant and loan
opportunities at https://www.grants.gov/. As we continue to serve our fellow Louisianans, I
invite you to take advantage of these funding opportunities. It is an honor to serve you in
Congress and I look forward to working with you to support Louisiana's continued growth and
prosperity.

Source