FEMA Announces Update to Partial Implementation of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard for all Hazard Mitigation Assistance Programs

FEMA Advisory

The updated FEMA policy will help ensure communities affected by flood disasters are less vulnerable to the loss of life and property and reduce the impacts of a changing environment.  

Aligning with Executive Order 14030–Climate-Related Financial Risk to strengthen nationwide resilience, FEMA is issuing an updated policy to partially implement the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) for Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs. The policy supersedes the interim one issued in August 2021.

The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) aims to increase community resilience against flooding. The update policy is effective on Dec. 7, 2022 and addresses elevating and floodproofing requirements for structures using Hazard Mitigation Assistance funding. The policy applies to structures that are using the funds for mitigation activities such as elevation, mitigation reconstruction, dry floodproofing, new construction, substantial improvement, and substantial damage.

The policy sets standards for critical actions to make structures like hospitals, nursing homes and emergency operation centers more resilient. It also sets standards for non-critical actions for structures—such as residential, commercial and industrial buildings—that are located in high-risk flood areas.

This policy update applies to any major disasters or Fire Management Assistance declarations made on or after Dec. 7, 2022. And it applies to all Fiscal Year 2023 funding opportunities and future application cycles, unless stated in the funding opportunity.

In addition to this policy for Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs, Public Assistance issued an interim policy in June 2022 for structures that are substantially damaged or need improvements. These two partial implementation policies about the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard allow FEMA to help make communities less vulnerable to flooding.

To learn more about the policy, please visit FEMA.gov.