FEMA and DHS Award Funding for California Emergency Management Projects
On Monday, August 28, 2023, FEMA announced the final selection of subapplications eligible for the more than $3 billion available in the FY22 cycle for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant programs. Additionally, DHS announced nearly $15 million awarded to 15 businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
19 California projects were awarded BRIC funds, and 1 California project was awarded FMA funds, and 3 California companies were announced as Phase II awardees for the SBIR programs.
The project awardees are listed below, along with a summary of each program.:
BRIC Awardees (2022 FY):
- City of Sacramento North Beach Lake Levee and Habitat Resiliency Project:
Sacramento strengthens levee to provide nature-based resiliency for local community
Sacramento, California: $14.98 million
- Mendocino County Wildfire Community Resilience Project
Mendocino retrofits residences with ignition-resistant construction materials.
Ukiah, California: $37.86 million
- California Earthquake Authority - Statewide Multi-Family Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit Program
California program offers seismic retrofit grants to multi-family properties
Sacramento, California: $20.2 million
- City of Auburn Fire Department Community Hardening for Wildfire Project
Auburn implements comprehensive wildfire mitigation project to protect 2,000 homes and critical infrastructure from wildfire.
Auburn, California: $17.34 million
- City of Hillsborough – Highline Pipeline Project for Potable Water Multi-Hazard Resilience
A new earthquake- and fire-resistant pipeline provides drinking water to three communities.
Hillsborough, California: $23.38 million
- City of Pacifica Beach – Boulevard Infrastructure Resiliency Project
Pacifica Beach builds a new seawall, rock apron and dynamic scour protection system to combat coastal erosion and flooding.
Pacifica, California: $50 million
- City of Riverbank Recycled Water and Water Supply Resiliency Project
City of Riverbank to increase groundwater recharge and improve water quality
Riverbank, California: $50 million
- City of Santa Cruz Pump Station Mitigation Project
The city of Santa Cruz enhances resilience against climate-driven flood risks with nature-based solutions. These combine pump station upgrades and riparian restoration in a comprehensive project.
Santa Cruz, California: $11.25 million
- City of Shafter’s Nature-Based Drought Mitigation Project
Water districts partner to mitigate drought risk with a nature-based solution for aquifer recharge.
Shafter, California: $12.37 million
- El Dorado Irrigation District Critical Water System Infrastructure Protection Project
The El Dorado Irrigation District mitigates future wildfire risks with a concrete flume replacement project.
Placerville, California: $7 million
- Inland Empire Recycled Water and Aquifer Storage Project
The Inland Empire of San Bernardino County project harnesses recycled water to address drought challenges
Chino, California: $46.33 million
- Karuk Tribe Fire-Adaptive Community Resilience Project
Karuk Tribe mitigates against wildfire risk with hazardous fuels reduction
Happy Camp, California: $11.5 million
- Kern Valley Healthcare District Hospital Seismic Retrofitting Project
Kern County hospital retrofitted to address seismic events
Bakersfield, California: $22.7 million
- Napa County’s Community-Wide Comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Program
Community-Wide Comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Program enhances wildfire resilience through ecosystem restoration, structure hardening, and defensible space
Napa, California: $37.50 million
- Port of San Francisco Downtown Coastal Resilience Project
San Francisco’s Downtown Coastal Resilience Project mitigates flooding risks caused by sea level rise, extreme storms, and seismic activity.
San Francisco, California: $50 million
- Rancho Palos Verdes Portuguese Mud/Landslide Community Infrastructure Resilience Project
Rancho Palos Verdes will implement groundwater extraction improvements to stabilize Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex and safeguard critical infrastructure
Rancho Palos Verdes, California: $23.33 million
- San Bernardino County - Cable Creek Basin Flood Mitigation Project
San Bernardino County builds detention basin to protect growing community from flooding
San Bernardino, California: $15 million
- Santa Cruz County Wildfire Resilient Communities Home Hardening and Nature-Based Mitigation
Santa Cruz County implements nature-based solutions to mitigate wildfire risk and enhance resilience in high-risk areas.
Santa Cruz, California: $21.44 million
- Yuba County Climate Change Resiliency Project
Yuba County to strengthen levee system through additional levee embankments, construction of soil bentonite cutoff walls, and levee elevation.
Marysville, California: $29.66 million
FMA Awardee (2022 FY):
The FMA grant program is a competitive program that provides funding to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes and territories. Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA chooses recipients based on the applicant’s ranking of the project and the eligibility and cost-effectiveness of the project.
- Yuba County Atmospheric River Control Spillway Project
Marysville will install an additional spillway to bolster flood control infrastructure.
Marysville, California: $50 million
SBIR Awardees:
The Department of Homeland Security announced the Phase II awardees for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, granting a total of $14,994,521 to 15 small businesses across the country to further develop technologies intended to support homeland security mission needs. Based on the technology’s feasibility in Phase I, each Phase II awardee received approximately $1 million to build and demonstrate a prototype over a two-year period. Awardees have 2 years to develop a prototype demonstrating technological advancements to potentially earn Phase III funding from private sector and/or non-SBIR government sources to develop a final product.
- Streamlined Airport Checkpoint Screening for Limited Mobility Passengers
Spectral Labs Incorporated (San Diego, CA)
- Mass Fatality Tracking System (MFTS)
Yotta Navigation Corporation (Santa Clara, CA)
- Person Worn Detector for Aerosolized Chemical Threats
Makel Engineering, Inc. (Chico, CA)
BRIC Awardees in Previous Cycles (FY 2020 and FY 2021, which are NOT part of the recently announced $3 billion):
- Bayside Community Resiliency: The Living Levee Project
Flood risk mitigation project will improve resilience to sea level rise in California’s disadvantaged Bayside community.
Imperial Beach, California: $15.16 Million
- Belvedere Lagoon Coastal Levee System Resiliency Project
Mitigating sea level rise risk from storms and seismic activity.
Belvedere, California: $15.61 Million
- Copeland Creek Detention Basin
Reduces stormwater flow and improves habitat.
City of Rohnert Park, California: $6 Million
- Enhancing Drought Management with Groundwater
Persistent drought in Kern County has impacted agriculture and fishing, affecting recreational activities and putting the community at risk during fire season.
Kern County: $39.5 Million
- Floodplain Restoration and Levee Resiliency Project
Severely disadvantaged community along the Sacramento River will implement a combination of nature-based solutions and levee hardening to protect the Grimes community and critical infrastructure from flooding, while also restoring riparian habitats and conserving endangered species.
Sacramento River West Side Levee District, California: $18.92 Million
- Groundwater and Aquifer Storage Construction to Help a Drought-Prone Community
One of California’s premier wine producing communities braces for continued drought in the present and future.
Healdsburg: $6.07 Million
- K-Line Transmission Hardening Project
A rural, agricultural community bolsters its defense against extreme heat vulnerabilities.
Imperial Irrigation District, California: $23.89 Million
- Multi-Family Soft-Story Retrofit Program
A new grant program will offer funding to California building owners of multi-family apartments to retrofit buildings and benefit disadvantaged residents.
California Earthquake Authority: $20.2 Million
- Nature-Based Mitigation and Wildfire Retrofitting for Climate Resiliency
Using nature-based solutions to provide critical protection from wildfires for some of the most vulnerable communities.
County of Nevada, California: $31.03 Million
- Nature-Based Mitigation for Megafires
This project will establish an innovative "systems" methodology to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire losses in the Wildland Urban Interface.
Sonoma County, California: $36.98 Million
- Based Shoreline Adaptation Project
Southern California beach communities are facing severe, tidally induced erosion; the implementation of nature-based solutions, namely vegetated sand dunes, will reduce the impacts of sea level rise and protect the local residential communities and marine ecosystems from flooding.
Orange County, California: $9.8 Million
- Walnut Creek/Grayson Creek Levee Project
This project will involve raising existing levees three feet to mitigate future flooding.
Martinez, California: $2.46 Million