The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency is inviting government agencies and private nonprofit organizations interested in applying to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to introductory meetings scheduled on St. Croix and St. John. The HMGP is aimed at funding projects that mitigate losses from future disasters.
The meetings will be held at 10 a.m. on Dec. 16, at the VITEMA Emergency Operations Center on St. Croix and 10 a.m. on Dec. 17, at the VITEMA EOC on St. John. A meeting has not been scheduled for St. Thomas where several potential HMGP projects have already been identified.
At the scheduled meetings, Jacqueline Heyliger, assistant director of VITEMA, along with the agency’s mitigation staff, will introduce the HMGP and discuss the criteria for submitting an application.
As a result of Hurricane Omar, which struck the territory in October 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the territory approximately $1.2 million for mitigation projects, which has been divided equally between the territory’s two districts. VITEMA is the local agency administering the grant funds and is seeking qualified applicants with sound mitigation projects.
HMGP funds are aimed at projects that will reduce or eliminate the losses from future disasters. Projects must provide a long-term solution to a problem, for example, elevation of a facility to reduce the risk of flood damages as opposed to buying sandbags and pumps to fight the flood.
In addition, a project’s potential savings must be more than the cost of implementing the project.
Examples of projects include but are not limited to:
– Retrofitting structures and facilities to minimize damages from high winds, earthquake, flood, wildfire or other natural hazards
– Minor flood control projects that do not duplicate the flood prevention activities of other federal agencies
– Localized flood control projects, such as certain ring levees and floodwall systems that are designed specifically to protect critical facilities.
To qualify for the program, a private, non-profit organization must provide critical services. It also must have an effective ruling letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service granting a tax exemption under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code and local certification that the organization is non-revenue producing and doing business under territorial law.
For more information, call Al Javois at VITEMA at 773-2244 or e-mail [email protected].