Flood Control Works are facilities constructed for the purpose of eliminating or reducing the threat of flooding. Examples include:
Protective levees
Floodwalls
Flood control channels
Dams designed for flood control
Funds for the repair of flood control works are available through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE’s) PL 84-99 program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection program. Because the repair of flood control works falls under the authority of other Federal agencies, FEMA cannot provide public assistance funds for the permanent repair of flood control works. This restriction applies even if funding is not available from the other agencies.
FEMA may, however, provide funds for certain emergency measures involving flood control works. These measures are described below.
Debris Removal: Removal of debris (for example, from a channel) is eligible if it is necessary to reduce an immediate threat of damage to improved property.
Flood Fighting: Activities such as sandbagging, pumping behind a levee to protect improved property, and increasing the height of a levee to prevent overtopping are eligible. Removal of temporary levees constructed as emergency protective measures also may be claimed.
Emergency Repair: Emergency repairs, such as stabilizing a breach in a levee, are eligible if they are necessary to save lives, to protect public health and safety, or to lessen or eliminate the immediate threat of additional damage to improved property. Funding is limited to work necessary to provide protection from a storm that has a 20% chance
of occurring in a given year or to provide the pre-disaster level of protection, whichever is less.
If a facility is enrolled in the USACE’s PL 84-99 program, FEMA cannot provide assistance for emergency repairs to the facility because the USACE can provide that assistance. If FEMA provides funds for emergency repairs for a non- enrolled facility, the applicant must agree to enroll the subject facility in the USACE program. FEMA will not fund repairs on a facility that was previously given FEMA emergency repair assistance. FEMA also will not provide assistance for emergency repairs to that facility in a subsequent disaster.
