Reps. Rose Calls for FEMA to Expand Hazard Funding to Include COVID-19 Pandemic Response Efforts

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Rep. Max Rose, D-New York, issued the following news release:

As part of his continued efforts to ensure New York and all those impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis are made whole, Congressman Max Rose called for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to include pandemic response efforts as eligible for hazard mitigation funding.

"While we continue to battle this coronavirus crisis with everything we have, we also need to be building in mitigation efforts and setting ourselves up to be better prepared for future pandemics," said Rose, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. "We must incentivize and encourage these mitigation efforts, and instead of reinventing the wheel, FEMA should just expand the existing program."

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) is meant to ensure that mitigation measures to reduce the loss of life and property from future disasters are undertaken following a disaster. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, HMGP funds were used to ensure residents were protected from future storms and floods through projects such as home elevation. Rose's proposal is to expand eligibility to include biological disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic to this existing program, rather than create an entirely new program which would likely take longer and be more burdensome.

"This virus, along with our national response to it, is unprecedented," wrote Rose in a letter to FEMA Administrator Paul Gaynor. "In order to deal with the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 and also mitigate our risk to future viruses, expanding guidelines to proven programs such as the HMGP is preferable to devising entire new programs that focus on mitigating pandemics."

Potential mitigation activities to help prepare for future pandemics that Rose proposed to be eligible for this grant program include: modifying hospitals and shelters to allow infected or evacuated people to maintain social distancing and to surge bed capacity, education about social distancing and other techniques to stop the spread of viruses, providing funding for purchasing insurance FEMA requires for any future Major Disaster Declaration, assisting hospitals in obtaining ventilators, and helping other critical facilities to stockpile PPE.

Rose's letter continued, "COVID-19 is a biological disaster unparalleled in the history of our country. The virus has affected all states and territories as well as the District of Columbia. In the months and years ahead, FEMA will bear a tremendous responsibility to prepare for the next pandemic. Adding pandemic-related eligible activities to the HMGP will provide a roadmap for mitigating the risks we face from future outbreaks. With so many lives on the line, we know FEMA will rise to the task and take necessary actions."

Rose has been continuing to lead efforts to increase funding in support of New York's response to the COVID-19 crisis. Last month, Rose urged FEMA to waive the 25 percent state match for FEMA funding and to approve all outstanding requests by New York State for badly needed aid, including Individual Assistance which would help with unemployment, shelter, and food assistance. Citing the urgent need for immediate relief for those who are hurting as a result of this pandemic, Rose helped pass the bipartisan CARES Act which will provide more than $40 billion to New York, including vital support for first responders and medical workers on the front lines.

Full text of letter below.

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April 22, 2020

The Honorable Peter T. Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20472

Dear Administrator Gaynor,

I am writing to strongly urge the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to broaden the list of eligible activities covered by the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) in order to cover pandemics such as COVID-19. This virus, along with our national response to it, is unprecedented. In order to deal with the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 and also mitigate our risk to future viruses, expanding guidelines to proven programs such as the HMGP is preferable to devising entire new programs that focus on mitigating pandemics.

The HMGP provides funds to States, local governments, recognized tribes, and certain non-profits following a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration. The key purpose of the HMGP is to ensure that opportunities to take mitigation measures to reduce the loss of life and property from future disasters is not lost while society recovers following a disaster. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, HMGP funds were used to ensure residents were protected from future storms and floods through projects such as home elevation.

The current list of HMGP eligible activities covers a number of mitigation projects including, but not limited to, structure relocation, soil stabilization, acquisition of generators, infrastructure retro-fitting, and post-disaster code enforcement. Adding pandemic-related eligible activities such as modifying hospitals and shelters to allow infected or evacuated people to maintain social distancing and to surge bed capacity, education about social distancing and other techniques to stop the spread of viruses, providing funding for purchasing insurance FEMA requires for any future Major Disaster Declaration, assisting hospitals in obtaining ventilators, and helping other critical facilities to stockpile PPE would help mitigate risks to our healthcare system and other critical infrastructure from future pandemics.

COVID-19 is a biological disaster unparalleled in the history of our country. The virus has affected all states and territories as well as the District of Columbia. In the months and years ahead, FEMA will bear a tremendous responsibility to prepare for the next pandemic. Adding pandemic-related eligible activities to the HMGP will provide a roadmap for mitigating the risks we face from future outbreaks. With so many lives on the line, we know FEMA will rise to the task and take necessary actions.

Sincerely,

Max Rose, Member of Congress