FEMA Hazard Mitigation: A First Step Toward Climate Adaptation

"FEMA Hazard Mitigation: A First Step Toward Climate Adaptation

With the increasing severity and frequency of natural disasters, attributed at least in part to climate change, policymakers often view mitigation funding as a way to control disaster-related spending. The importance of federal mitigation funding is illustrated by a recent study that looked at the impacts of 23 years of federal mitigation grants and found that for every $1 invested by federal grant programs, society as a whole saved $6 due to reduced future losses.

FEMA has a lead role in guiding nationwide mitigation of extreme weather events, including those resulting from the impacts of climate change. In particular, FEMA administers the federal government’s most significant grant programs for pre-and post-disaster mitigation. FEMA has identified hazard mitigation as one of the main ways in which the agency will enhance resilience to the effects of climate change and lead federal climate change adaptation efforts.

FEMA funds mitigation measures through a number of programs:
 the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP);
 the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program (BRIC);
 the Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program (FMA);
 the STORM Act State Revolving Loan Program for Hazard Mitigation;
 Public Assistance (PA); and
 Individual Assistance (IA).

Three of these programs are available after a disaster (HMGP, PA, and IA), while the other three (BRIC, FMA, STORM Act) provide pre-disaster mitigation funding for use before an event occurs or in anticipation of an incident. Historically, post-disaster mitigation has received significantly more funding than pre-disaster mitigation. Between 1996 and 2019, approximately $1.86 billion was awarded for FMA grants, $1.92 billion was awarded for PDM grants (the predecessor to BRIC), and $22.4 billion was awarded in HMGP funding. Funding for pre-disaster mitigation has increased recently through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-24) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). Increased funding for pre-disaster mitigation is more essential in the context of climate change, as many projected climate impacts have yet to occur.

This report gives an overview of FEMA funding for mitigation, including issues related to equity, and suggests considerations for Congress that may enhance FEMA’s support for hazard mitigation and climate adaptation.."
FEMA and climate