Other federal agencies, such as the Corps, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Federal Highway Administration, also fund certain disaster recovery projects, in accordance with their own authority. Hazard Mitigation Assistance Hazard mitigation assistance provides aid in support of measures that will permanently eliminate or reduce an area's long-term vulnerability to the loss of human life and property from a particular hazard. It is made available to all State and local government agencies, special districts, and eligible private nonprofit organizations located in a declared disaster area, to implement measures that will reduce loss of life and property damage in future events. Grants are awarded through a competitive proposal process and require a 25 percent local fund match. The total amount of funds available for the program is calculated based on the total of federal assistance provided for the disaster.
Most federal assistance is in the form of low interest loans.
These loans pay expenses not covered by State or local programs, or private insurance. Low interest loans are available for eligible individuals, businesses, and farms from the Small Business Administration and Farmers Home Administration to repair or replace damaged property and personal belongings not covered by insurance, and to provide working capital for businesses. G. Unresolved Issues FEMA policy changes resulting from the 1993 midwest floods and the 1995 California floods resulted in a reduction of federal disaster assistance eligibility for State and local government for making levee repairs which had direct impact on the safety of individuals and protection of property. It is the experience of the State and local governments that some FEMA eligibility determinations are being made retroactively and in some cases in conflict with federal regulations and the Stafford Act. An example is levee repairs.