FEMA Funds for Water
In the scramble to find out what funding is available for state drinking water programs from the FY 18 Omnibus Appropriations Act, ASDWA came across some new information about programs managed by FEMA that may have funds available for water utilities and state primacy agencies.
FEMA funding is captured in the Omnibus bill under Division F, Title IV, Protection, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. In total, FEMA grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements are collectively funded at $3,293,932,000. Of that amount, the following appropriations are included:
- $507M for the State Homeland Security Grant Program to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies to obtain the resources required to support implementation of the National Preparedness System (NPS) and the Goal of a secure and resilient Nation.
- $630M for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Program to address the unique multi-discipline planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density Urban Areas.
- $350M for the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program for states to assist state, local, territorial, and tribal governments in preparing for all hazards, as authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and Section 662 of the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006.
- $249M for the National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Fund to assist states, tribes, and territories to reduce overall risk to the population and structures from future hazard events, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding in future disasters. This program awards planning and project grants and provides opportunities for raising public awareness about reducing future losses before disaster strikes.
- $275M for Current Operations to sustain training, exercises, technical assistance and other programs.
You are encouraged to collaborate with your state’s emergency management agency to determine how best to take advantage of these programs and opportunities.
