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Department of Transportation recommending the Board:
1) Authorize Transportation to apply for a reimbursable grant through the Federal Emergency Management Association's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to provide funding for removal of roadside vegetation to mitigate impacts from wildfires;
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 017-2021 supporting the grant application and endorsing that the County's non-federal matching funds, currently estimated at $380,000, will be available in Fiscal Year 2023/24, and that the County will fund the remainder of the Project with reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
3) Provide direction to Transportation regarding the funding plan for the project.
FUNDING: Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funds (75% Federal) and El Dorado County General Fund/Designated Reserves (25%).
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides grant funding through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for projects that reduce the impacts from natural disasters, including wildfire. The State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) is California's administrator for FEMA’s HMGP funding.
On September 18, 2020, El Dorado County submitted a Notice of Interest to CalOES indicating our intent to apply for HMGP funding for a Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project (Project) that will reduce wildfire risk in vulnerable communities dependent on the El Dorado County road network. El Dorado County is home to many communities with heavy fuel loading along evacuation routes. Massive evacuations triggered by wildfire threaten to clog County roadways, impeding access of firefighters. This Project would reduce the risk of fires burning alongside priority roadways and increase the ability of residents to evacuate and firefighters to respond to wildfire events in rural communities...
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