Reduce Risk

Taking steps now to mitigate the impact of a future natural disaster reduces long-term risk to life and property, making families and communities more disaster resistant. At KYEM, we’ll help your community to develop hazard mitigation plans, apply for and manage grant funding, and ensure mitigation projects have an impact. 

What does mitigation look like?

In Kentucky, projects with a focus on flooding and tornadoes are most common, but the opportunities for other community mitigation projects are endless.

• Protect homes and infrastructure by elevating frequently flooded buildings or retrofitting structures for earthquakes.
• Support building safety with enforced building codes and development of tornado safe rooms and community shelters.
• Reduce flood risk by managing development in flood-prone areas and implementing localized flood control projects.
• Promote flood resilience by participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and maintain a strong floodplain management ordinance.

Locally Led, Federally Supported

It’s a big investment to prepare your community to be resilient in the face of disasters. To help lessen that burden, FEMA has several grant programs to reduce the cost of community mitigation projects:

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

Rebuild your community to be safer, stronger, and more resilient after a presidential disaster declaration with the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). 

Flood Mitigation Assistance Program

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program helps fund projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. 

Some ideas for these projects include:

• Elevating structures out of the flood plain
• Building local capacity through hazard mitigation plans
• Buyout and acquisition of repeatedly flooded homes
• Floodproofing with watertight doors, walls, or utility protections
• Restoring drainage wetlands adjacent to critical infrastructure 

National Flood Insurance Program

Property owners, renters, and businesses can obtain flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to help them bounce back faster after flooding. 

In Kentucky, the Division of Water is responsible for oversight of the NFIP. Contact the Division of Water here.

Navigate the Mitigation Grant Process

Federal grant applications can be tricky, but that’s why KYEM is here to help. We’ll help your community navigate the application process, make sure the requirements are met, and provide assistance throughout the life of the grant. Our goal is to help your community become stronger and more resilient.