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<br />Hazard Mitigation Grant Program <br /> <br />If Hurricane Fran was the impetus for change in the state's approach to hazard <br />mitigation, then FEMA:s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) has been the <br /> <br />implementation vehicle for an array of community,based programs and projects, <br /> <br />The HMGP was created in November 1988 as Section 404 of the Robert 1. Stafford <br />Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ("Stafford Act"), It implements <br />FEMA's strategy to help states and communities undertake long,term hazard <br />mitigation measures following major disaster declarations, In December 1993, <br />President Clinton signed the Hazard Mitigation and Relocation Assistance Act, <br />which amended Section 404 to increase federal funding of HMGP projects from 50 <br />to 75 percent of total eligible costs, <br /> <br />The objectives of the HMGP are to: <br />. avoid future losses of lives and property due to disasters; <br />. implement state and local hazard mitigation strategies; <br />. implement mitigation measures during the recovery period; and <br />. provide funding for previously identified mitigation measures that benefit the <br />disaster area. <br /> <br />Since 1996, the state of North Carolina has submitted to FEMA more than 130 <br />HMGP projects totaling more than $110 million. As reflected in Exhibit 1, the <br />HMGP provides substantial resources to carry out a variety of initiatives: elevation- <br />in'place of flood-prone structures; acquisition of residential and business structures; <br />public education and warning projects; storm water management programs; and <br />support for the development of the state's Hazard Mitigation Planning Initiative. <br /> <br />To guide decision,making in the selection of eligible HMGP projects, the NCEMD <br />developed a scoring system that ranks projects on the basis of four criteria: <br /> <br />. Project Type: Does the project fit into one of the five priority categories of <br />mitigation measures (Exhibit 1) as established by the NCEMD and the Governor's <br />Disaster Recovery Task Force? <br /> <br />. Site Vulnerability: Is the proposed project in an area oj repetitive loss due to <br />flooding, or involve the permanent removal oj a structure from hazardous <br />locations? <br /> <br />. Project BeneFits: Does the proposed project alleviate major public health problems <br />or have a significant beneficial impact on the natural environment? <br /> <br />. Hazard Mitigation Planning: Would the proposed project reduce the future impact <br />of multiple hazards, as evidenced by the applicant's comprehensive plan? <br /> <br />North Carolina's HMGP scoring system is an important decision,support tool. It <br />enables the NCEMD to evaluate proposed HMGP projects on the basis of their <br />contribution to reducing future damages and losses from natural hazards, While <br />the scoring system is structured, comprehensive, and objective, it also rewards <br />innovation and is flexible, For example, as state mitigation policies and priorities <br />change, the point system can be adjusted to reflect these changes, <br /> <br /> <br />11"'" " <br />:1\~'J1I99. <br />