Category: Resiliency & Mitigation

Jones County has undertaken multi-year efforts to reduce the impact of flooding through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs (HMGP), targeting properties affected by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. These initiatives aim to enhance community resilience and safety by mitigating flood risks for vulnerable homes.

To support these critical efforts, Jones County collaborated with Insight to assist with acquisition and elevation projects for flood-damaged homes. The program has successfully mitigated 32 properties to date, demonstrating the County’s commitment to proactive disaster management.

Craven County’s multi-year Flood Mitigation Assistance Program successfully mitigated over 22 repetitive-loss properties, including the state’s first Mitigation Reconstruction (teardown and rebuild) project. These homes, either elevated or rebuilt, were located in both traditional residential neighborhoods and waterfront communities. The structures ranged in size from 900 to 2,800 square feet, with some featuring multiple stories. All project activities were completed within FEMA’s required Period of Performance.

Insight staff collaborated with Craven County to help identify eligible properties, apply for the funding, and administer the federal grants. This effort included feasibility assessments, work write-ups, managing the bidding process, and overseeing construction. As a result of these efforts, homeowners saw reductions in flood insurance premiums, and all the properties – previously flooded during Hurricane Irene in 2011 – were protected from flooding during Hurricane Florence in 2018.

In 2000, the 106th United States Congress enacted the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K), amending the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. DMA2K aims to reduce citizens’ vulnerability to natural hazards across the United States by enhancing mitigation efforts at state and local levels. To qualify for Public Assistance Categories C – G and Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance (UHMA), every local, county, and state government must maintain an updated and formally adopted hazard mitigation plan.

FEMA provides specific guidance and requirements for state and local hazard mitigation planning, which must be met to obtain FEMA approval. These requirements include identifying natural hazards at the local level, assessing risks, setting mitigation goals and strategies, and preparing a mitigation action plan tailored to each jurisdiction. The planning process outlined in FEMA’s guidance documents must be strictly followed and thoroughly documented. Once drafted, the plan is reviewed by the relevant state agency before being submitted to the appropriate FEMA Regional Office for approval. Both state and local plans must be reviewed, updated, and comprehensively revised every five years to maintain compliance and eligibility.

Although this process may seem complex and demanding, Insight brings over two decades of expertise in developing FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plans. Our team coordinates all aspects of the planning process to ensure the final plan meets FEMA’s standards, alleviating the burden on municipalities to meet the stringent requirements within the five-year timeframe.