The Flood Mitigation Assistance program was created as part of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 4101) with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the National Flood Insurance Program. Funding for the program is provided through the National Flood Insurance Fund. The FMA program provides funding to assist States and communities in implementing measures to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program. NFIP-participating communities with approved Hazard Mitigation Plans can apply for FMA Project Grants.
Eligible activities for the FMA Grant Program include:
- Property Acquisition and Structure Demolition or Relocation;
- Structure Elevation;
- Dry Flood-Proofing;
- Minor Localized Flood Reduction Projects;
- Hazard Mitigation Planning (Flood Portion);
- Non-structural Retrofitting of Existing Buildings and Facilities; and
- Management Costs.
States are encouraged by FEMA to prioritize FMA project grant applications that include severe repetitive loss properties. These include structures with four or more losses each with a claim of at least $5,000 and with the cumulative amount of such claims payments exceeding $20,000; or for which at least 2 separate claims payments have been made with the cumulative amounts exceeding the market value of the structure. State and communities are also encouraged to develop Plans that address the mitigation of repetitive loss properties.
The overall FMA Goal is "to fund cost-effective measures that reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other NFIP-insurable structures."