President Joe Biden approved more than $3.46 billion Thursday for Hazard Mitigation Grants to increase state’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The investment will be available for natural hazard mitigation measures across the 59 major disaster declarations issued due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“The Department of Homeland Security is committed to helping build stronger and more resilient communities that are prepared for future disasters,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “States, tribes, territories, and localities will now receive the funding needed to treat the climate crisis with the sense of urgency it demands. Through this funding, communities across the nation will have the critical resources needed to invest in adaptation and resilience and take meaningful action to combat the effects of climate change. This funding will also help to ensure the advancement of equity in all communities, especially those that are disproportionately at risk from climate change impacts.”
Managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funding to states, tribes, and territories for projects that reduce the impacts of climate change. States, tribes, and territories that received disaster declarations in response to the pandemic will be eligible to receive 4 percent of those disaster costs to invest in projects that reduce risks from natural disasters. The funding will help communities prioritize mitigation needs for a more resilient future, the administration said.
“Climate change is our country’s biggest crisis,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
“Our communities will continue to suffer from losses caused by extreme weather events unless we invest in mitigation efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. This new funding is a tangible solution that we can implement today to help prevent against future risk disasters. It will allow us to provide direct aid to states, tribes, and territories to complete mitigation projects, strengthen our infrastructure, identify long-term solutions to these hazards and ultimately make a real difference in our communities.”
HMGP funding will cover 75 percent of costs for eligible mitigation projects, with states or communities covering the remaining costs. Examples of eligible projects include those that reduce the risks associated with climate change, such as wildfires, drought, flooding, and coastal erosion, or those that help utilities and other critical facilities adapt to future conditions and reduce risks to various natural disasters.
Awards ranged from a high of $666,134,283 for Texas to a low of $168,000 to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.