Congratulations to the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians for developing (in partnership with Tennessee-based BOLDplanning) their very first Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. And, just as importantly, congratulations for receiving plan approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) upon first review—clearly, no small achievement!
Approval of the plan, i.e., compliance with U.S. Title 44 Code of Regulations (CFR) Part 201.7 Tribal Mitigation Plans, means that the tribe is now eligible to receive certain types of hazard mitigation disaster assistance, emergency and non-emergency, over the next five years. This includes FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Programs, including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM), and the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA).
Funds from these programs are commonly used by tribal, territorial, local, and state governments to support all kinds of mitigation projects. Among them are structural retrofits, the building of safe rooms, culverts, and retaining walls, the installation of warning sirens, and even mitigation education and awareness programs.
The mitigation projects specifically identif