Through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), FEMA will award $70,000 of an overall $1.2M grant to Eau Claire County, Wisc., for the construction of a saferoom in the Hillcrest Estates mobile home park neighborhood. This is the first of three increments of a $1.2 million grant to build a safe space for residents in and around the mobile home park.
“FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of future disaster losses,” said Tom Sivak, regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This project will enable local residents to have a safe place to go when severe weather threatens the Altoona area.”
“This grant represents a partnership between locals, state and federal agencies working together to make sure families have a safe place to go in a natural disaster,” said Greg Engle, administrator of Wisconsin Emergency Management. “FEMA’s HMPG and other mitigation grant programs have helped Wisconsin communities invest in solutions that reduce disaster risks and make the state more resilient.”
HMGP provides funding to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures following a presidentially declared disaster. For this project, FEMA will pay 80% of the $1,506,553 eligible project cost. The remaining 20% of the funds will be provided by the city of Altoona and the state of Wisconsin.
