Grant Applications On Hold Until FEMA Approves Regional Mitigation Plan

People and businesses with pending applications for some types of FEMA grants may see movement of those applications after a regional natural hazard mitigation plan is updated and approved.

A public hearing was held at the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments office in Norwich Tuesday to kick off the effort to update the plan, which needs FEMA approval before funds can be disbursed.

The plan, which expired last year, is intended to identify vulnerable areas and populations within each of 20 local and two tribal jurisdictions and outline pre-disaster actions.

Updating the plan has been "fast-tracked," according to David Murphy, of Milone & MacBroom, a consulting firm hired by SCCOG to update the plan. Murphy will be meeting with town officials in the next couple weeks to ask what measures they have taken, and want to take, to avoid property damages caused by natural disasters.

"We've got plenty to add to the plan," said Tom Wagner, the , which has an application to remove or raise a house in the Hunts Brook flood plain pending since 2010.

Wagner said the town's zoning regulations and flood map were recently updated, and the coastal flood plain will be adopted in the next couple months. Wagner said the rising sea level, groundwater and erosion are Waterford's biggest concerns right now.

Jeff Butler, the executive director of SCCOG, said it costs approximately $125,000 to update the plan.

Municipalities have some outstanding FEMA applications because, although they may have submitted applications in time, the current mitigation plan expired before funds were disbursed and the process has halted because a town needs an approved FEMA mitigation plan in place in order to be eligible for those funds.

SCCOG was recently approved for a $93,000 grant to update the plan and Murphy hopes to have a draft ready for pre-approval early next year and he expects final approval from FEMA in approximately one year.