Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
December 30, 2015
Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s Impact
on the State of Iowa and Our Local Communities
Ø Disaster Recovery – Public Assistance
HSEMD is responsible for administering the FEMA Public Assistance Disaster Relief Program. This program provides grant funding to political subdivisions of the state and eligible non-profit agencies that experience damages during a Presidentially Declared Major Disaster. Presently there are sixteen open presidential public assistance disasters within Iowa. These disasters are anticipated to deliver in excess $1.9 billion in federal aid to the state. By the end of FY 2014, over $1.6 billion in federal and state funds has been expended. Since 2008, the state has experienced 3 separate presidential disasters that will exceed the floods of 1993 in terms of Public Assistance Program funding.
Ø Hazard Mitigation (FEMA)
HSEMD is responsible for administering the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The HMGP funds buyouts of flood-prone properties, construction of Safe Rooms, strengthening of municipal and rural electric system to current standards, infrastructure protection projects, compliance with planning requirements, and other initiatives. With 16 open presidential disasters, Iowa is estimated to have $482 million in approved mitigation projects with FEMA providing $356 million in grant funds for these projects.
Ø Hazard Mitigation (State)
In FY 2013 HSEMD began the administration of the State Flood Mitigation Program and Board. This program seeks to provide additional funding for flood mitigation projects that have a portion of the project funded from the federal government. The state provides funding via a sales tax increment generated within the governmental entities legal boundary. The Board has approved 10 projects with a total cost of $1,300,000,000. Of that total cost $596,000,000 comes from the sales tax increment, $786,000,000 from federal funds and local funds. The projects approved are for the cities of Burlington, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Coralville, Des Moines and Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority, Dubuque, Iowa City, Storm Lake, and Waverly.
Ø Funds to Local Communities and Governments
In fiscal year 2015 HSEMD distributed in excess of $30 million in non-disaster federal and private funding to state and local governments and local communities to fund emergency planning, operations training, wireless E911 operations and for first responder equipment in the last year. These funds are used to enhance local emergency responder’s capabilities and capacities. These funds are derived from several grant programs which include the Homeland Security Grant Program, Emergency Management Performance Grant, Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant, Buffer Zone Protection Planning Grant, Radiological Emergency Preparedness, and Interoperable Communications Grants. Most of these grants require either a state or local funding match.
Ø Wireless E911
All 99 counties have in place the technology that allows emergency call taking personnel the ability to pinpoint a wireless caller’s precise location. This technology enables first responders to be dispatched to emergency situations even if the caller is not able to provide their location. Presently, the Program Manager has implemented a Next Generation E911 network for the State of Iowa. This is a network that adapts rapidly to new technology and supports new communications devices such as video, text messaging, and Voice over Internet Protocol phone service.