General changes included in the HMA Guide are outlined in this section.
- HMA Guidance and Addendum: The 2015 version of the HMA Guidance consisted of two volumes: (1) The HMA Guidance, which contained the general principles applicable to all HMA programs; (2) The Addendum, which listed eligible project types under all HMA programs. Stakeholders indicated that having multiple documents and parts governing the HMA programs can sometimes be confusing. The updated HMA Guide retains this distinction between generally applicable principles and activity types. However, FEMA incorporated the Addendum into the HMA Guide to improve usability.
- Job aids, fact sheets and policy clarifications to bolster existing guidance: Since the publication of the 2015 HMA Guidance and Addendum, FEMA has issued additional guidance in the form of fact sheets, policy clarifications and job aids for HMA-eligible activities, including aquifer recharge, storage and recovery; floodplain and stream restoration; flood diversion and storage; and generators. FEMA incorporated relevant content found within these guidance documents into the project-specific parts of the HMA Guide throughout and specifically in Part 12. Job aids describing eligible HMA activities remain in effect despite their inclusion in the HMA Guide to the extent they are consistent with the content of the HMA Guide. Additionally, FEMA reorganized and bolstered the HMA Guide to further highlight capability and capacity building, management costs and project specific criteria.
- Information Regarding “Frontloading HMA Program Eligibility Requirements”: Information from 2015 HMA Guidance and Addendum, Part II, “Frontloading HMA Program Eligibility Requirements,” was incorporated in other parts of the document, as appropriate. Part II information was moved to Part 3, which outlines items that applicants and subapplicants should consider before they apply, such as creating or updating a mitigation plan, selecting mitigation activities, scoping, considering assistance strategies, and making activity eligibility determinations.
- The following Disaster Recovery Reform Act provisions were considered when developing the HMA Guide :
- 1204 Wildfire Prevention.
- 1205 Additional Activities: Wildfire and Windstorm.
- 1210(b) Federally Authorized Water Resources Development Project.
- 1215 Management Costs.
- 1231 Guidance on Hazard Mitigation – Acquisition.
- 1233 Additional Hazard Mitigation Activities – Earthquake Early Warning.
- 1234 National Public Infrastructure Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation.
- 1235(a) Additional Mitigation Activities.
- Budget: FEMA replaced most references to “cost estimate” with “budget” to align with the definition in 2 CFR Part 200.
- Hazard Mitigation Officer: The HMA Guide transitioned the “state hazard mitigation officer” title to “hazard mitigation officer” to be more inclusive of tribes and territories.
- Ineligible Activities: FEMA clarified language in the list of ineligible activities section in Part 4 regarding projects in the Coastal Barrier Resources System, water quality infrastructure projects, activities involving other federal entities, wildfire activities, and response/preparedness activities. This list was formerly in Part III.E.2 in the 2015 HMA Guidance.