PUBLIC NOTICE: Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program for Hurricane Michael

PUBLIC COMMENT: September 13, 2021

September 13, 2021

To comment on the Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program for Hurricane Michael, please contact Wanda Whitehead, Grants Manager, City of Tallahassee at wanda.whitehead@talgov.com.

TALLAHASSEE, FL (September 13, 2021) | The City of Tallahassee anticipates applying for Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program (HMGMP) funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address unmet disaster recovery needs related to damage from Hurricane Michael. This program is being administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. A total of $109,000,000 in funding has been allocated by DEO for the HMGMP.

Only entities that have been awarded Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding that are located in areas impacted by Hurricane Michael, as identified by HUD, are eligible for these funds.

HMGP requires a local match of 25%. The HMGMP will fund the local match portion of the award. Programs or projects must align with CDBG-DR and DEO requirements and priorities as outlined in the State’s Action Plan and the Federal Register, including but not limited to those set forth below:

• Projects must demonstrate tie-back to Hurricane Michael.
• Projects must primarily serve LMI populations.
• Projects for infrastructure must support LMI housing.
• Projects must not duplicate benefits.

Eligible activities may include but are not limited to:

• Acquisition/Demolition
• Structural Elevation
• Non-Portable Generators
• Localized Flood Risk Reduction
• Infrastructure
• Post-Disaster Code Enforcement

The City of Tallahassee anticipates submitting one application for a total of $125,000 in funding through the CDBG-DR Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program as detailed below:

Project Title: Upgrade of back-up power at City of Tallahassee Jack McLean Community Center

Project Description: The City of Tallahassee is submitting the following project to help mitigate against impacts from severe storm events and extreme heat conditions that are a public health risk, especially for vulnerable populations.  To do so, the City is seeking local match funding to install back-up power generation at Jack McLean Community Center so that it can function as a resilience hub, heat shelter, and post-disaster recovery center. As a resilience hub, the center will provide year-round education and workshops to strengthen resiliency in the surrounding neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are some of the most vulnerable in the area and are often susceptible to additional stressors that can exacerbate the impacts associated with most disasters. Although back-up power generation is critical to general resilience hub functions, it also ensures that the community center can function as a heat shelter and post-disaster recovery center. As a heat shelter, the community center would provide relief from extreme heat for senior citizens, the young, and those who are high risk related to health conditions. As a post-disaster recovery center, the facility will serve as a post-disaster staging area and a place where food and critical supplies can be distributed.

Comments from the public must be received no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, September 27, 2021. All comments will be considered, and proposed changes will be submitted to DEO. Additional information relating to the proposed projects and applications is available for review by request. 

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Contact Information
Wanda Whitehead, Grants Manager, City of Tallahassee