The West Virginia Emergency Management Division works with two different types of grants: Preparedness Grants and Recovery Grants.
The Preparedness Grants Section is responsible for administering multiple grants which the agency receives from various federal agencies including FEMA, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. These grants are used by state and local jurisdictions to maintain an effective emergency management program and to build and sustain the necessary capabilities to allow the state to prevent, respond to, and recover from various threats and hazards.
Grant programs administered by WVEMD include the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), and the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP).
Preparedness Grants also provide ongoing education and assistance through the National Flood Insurance Program to lower community flood insurance rates and educate local and government officials on programs.
To facilitate effective and efficient local recovery, the Recovery Grants Section utilizes the Individual Assistance (IA) Grant Program, Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program, and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Recovery Grants personnel currently manage open disaster declarations from 2015-2021 with the assistance of FEMA Region III. The open disasters total nearly 3,000 projects and almost $700 million in disaster funding collectively.
Long-term recovery is especially important during the early weeks after a major disaster or catastrophic incident when many local, state, and insular-area governments are overwhelmed with the response and short-term recovery efforts. WVEMD participates in and supports recovery planning, capacity building and mitigation efforts by providing training, technical guidance or other assistance as requested and needed.
The Public Assistance (PA) grant program provides federal assistance to government organizations and certain private nonprofit (PNP) organizations following a Presidential disaster declaration. PA provides grants to state and local governments, and certain types of PNP organizations so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.
Through the program, FEMA provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged publicly owned facilities, and the facilities of certain PNP organizations. The PA program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by aiding for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
The federal share of assistance is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost. The Recipient (usually the state) determines how the non-federal share (up to 25 percent) is split with the subrecipients (eligible applicants).