NOFA: FY2026 Flood Mitigation Swift Current Subsequent DR-4889-NC (TS Chantal) Grant

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA): FY2026 Flood Mitigation Swift Current Subsequent DR-4889-NC (TS Chantal) Grant

FY2026 Flood Mitigation Swift Current Subsequent DR-4889-NC (TS Chantal) Grant

North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) Hazard Mitigation (HM) Section is now accepting Sub-Applications from eligible sub-applicants in Salesforce for personal home properties to be considered and evaluated for inclusion in the State’s application to FEMA for the FY2026 Flood Mitigation Swift Current subsequent DR-4889-NC (TS CHANTAL) grant.
 

Eligible Sub-Applicants

Eligible sub-applicants are local governments or tribes with approved and adopted Hazard Mitigation Plans. Sub-applicants must be participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and not be withdrawn, on probation, or suspended. NFIP community status can be verified at https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance/work-with-nfip/community-status-book. Additionally, some political subdivisions, like regional flood control districts or counties, may apply as sub-applicants if they serve NFIP-participating communities and provide relevant services such as zoning, building code enforcement, or planning. Finally, all structures identified in any sub-application must have an NFIP policy (including a Group Flood Insurance Policy [GFIP]) in effect prior to the opening of the application period (14 SEPTEMBER 2026) and the policy must be maintained throughout the life of the structure.

The Fiscal Year 2026 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current program aims to improve the delivery of federal flood mitigation funding in alignment with the needs of disaster survivors. It provides funds to states, territories, tribal governments, and local governments to reduce flood damage to buildings insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FMA Swift Current is designed to quickly reduce flood risks and repetitive flood damage to NFIP-insured structures in communities affected by recent flood disasters. Unlike the broader, annual FMA grant cycle, Swift Current provides rapid, targeted funding for specific individual mitigation projects—focused on severely or repeatedly damaged properties—using streamlined processes based on disaster declarations and insurance claims.

All county/jurisdiction sub-applications are subject to the requirements in the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide (20 January 2025) and FEMA’s FY 2026 FMA Swift Current NOFO.
 

Submission Deadlines

All sub-applications to the State must be received through the Salesforce application no later than 5:00 PM, 16 October 2026. Sub-Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered. NCEM encourages communities and jurisdictions to submit sub-applications much sooner than the date specified above and below. See “Best Practices” section below. 

FINAL SUB-APPLICATIONS WILL BE SUBMITTED IN FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO) no later than 5:00 PM 08 January 2027.
 

Best Practices for Sub-Application Collection and Submission

Each jurisdiction is encouraged to engage their communities to identify the need and intent of their homeowners. A public meeting is always the best and NCEM HM can work with you to have representatives there to assist in answering questions.

Collect all of the required documentation. Jurisdictions must have each homeowner complete the Homeowner Application, often referred to as the Property Site Inventory or “PSI”. This is a 10-page document which includes information about the owner and property. The completeness of this document is critical for building a sub-application.

Sort all PSIs into groups by mitigation project types. All property owners interested in elevating their property will be one project type and all property owners interested in a buyout will be another project type. These will become two separate sub-applications and submitted to the State.

We encourage counties/jurisdictions to submit multiple sub-applications if some PSIs, when reviewed, lack proper signatures or critical information. This prevents a whole application from being slowed or not submitted due to a few paperwork errors.

Once each county/jurisdictions feels they have completed their sub-application, the community/jurisdiction can submit their project to the State in FEMA GO.

Once a sub-application has been submitted to the State in FEMA GO, the Grant Development team will screen for eligibility, cost effectiveness and feasibility. The State will attach each completed and reviewed sub-application to the States application and submit to FEMA No Later Than 08 January 2027.
 

Available Funding

$20,000,000 for Individual Flood Mitigation Projects and scoping efforts that result in submission of Flood Mitigation Projects for repetitive loss, severe repetitive loss, or substantially damaged properties.
 

Cost Share

FEMA’s contributions to the federal share are outlined below:

    In the case of mitigation activities to severe repetitive loss structures, FEMA may contribute to 
    an amount up to either of the following:

• 100% of all eligible costs if the activities are technically feasible and cost effective.
• The expected savings to the National Flood Insurance Fund from expected avoided damage through acquisition and demolition or relocation activities if the activities will eliminate future payments from the National Flood Insurance Fund for severe repetitive loss structures through an acquisition and demolition or relocation activity.

    In the case of mitigation activities to repetitive loss structures, FEMA may contribute to an 
    amount up to 90% of all eligible costs.

    In the case of all other activities, FEMA may contribute to an amount up to 75%.

The definitions supporting Severe Repetitive Loss and Repetitive Loss are:

    A severe repetitive loss structure is a structure that is covered under an NFIP policy and has 
    incurred flood-related damage:

        For which four or more separate claims payments have been made under flood insurance 
        coverage with the amount of each claim (including building and contents payments) 
        exceeding $5,000 and with the cumulative amount of such claims payments exceeding 
        $20,000; or

        For which at least two separate flood insurance claims payments (building payments only) 
        have been made, with the cumulative amount of such claims exceeding the value of the 
        insured structure.

    A repetitive loss structure is a structure covered under an NFIP policy that:

        Has incurred flood-related damage on two occasions, in which the cost of repair, on average, 
        equaled or exceeded 25% of the value of the structure at the time of each such flood event; 
        and

        At the time of the second incidence of flood-related damage, the contract for flood 
        insurance contains increased cost of compliance coverage.
 

Mitigation Projects by Type and Definition

Prior to eligible sub-applicants submitting any sub-applications to the State in Salesforce, all homes must have the following documentation which must be submitted with the sub-applicant’s Letter of Intent (LOI):
 

• Homeowner Application
  • Section 1: Property Site Inventory (PSI)
  • Section 2: Voluntary Participation FEMA Form, FEMA Form 81-112
  • Section 3: Duplication of Benefits
  • Section 4: Declaration and Release Form, FEMA Form 009-0-3
  • Section 5: Model Acknowledgement of Conditions (For Elevation Homes Only)
  • Section 6: Right of Entry for Engineering and Construction or Appraisal and Survey 
• Current tax card for the property
• Pre-Elevation Survey (For Elevation Homes Only)
• 4 Photos of each home in the application – must be of each side of the property
• Photos of any additional structures on the property
• Right of Entry for Engineering and Construction or Appraisal and Survey

NCEM HM will review each LOI submission in Salesforce. If any documentation is missing, NCEM will return the LOI to the jurisdiction requesting the missing documentation be provided before continuing to work with the jurisdictions on their sub-application. It is imperative that any jurisdiction receiving a returned LOI quickly provide the corrected/updated documentation. NCEM HM WILL NOT approve any LOIs to turn them into sub-applications that are not complete.

Once NCEM and the local jurisdiction finalize the sub-application in Salesforce, then the local jurisdiction can then copy and paste from Salesforce into FEMA GO so that the State can submit the final sub-application to FEMA.
 

Benefit Cost Ratio

Another critical aspect of sub-application development is the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) calculation for all projects. The FEMA pre-calculated benefit waivers are in effect for properties in the Special Flood Hazard Area (AE Zone) only. Note that properties may be aggregated in order to produce a cost-effective result. Properties outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area or in the “X zone” cannot take advantage of the pre-calculated benefit waivers and each home must have separate BCR calculated. If an individual property does not have a minimum of 3 flood events affecting the structure, a Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) cannot be completed on the home. Additionally, if the home fails to pass the BCA, even with 3 flood events in its history, the home CAN NOT be submitted into the final sub-application to FEMA. 

Note: “X Zone” Properties will fall below “AE Zone” properties which are at a higher risk. Available grant funds are targeted at those that represent the highest risk of future flooding.

BCA Waiver Conditions:

• Acquisition - if a property is located in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (AE or VE Zone), and the entire acquisition and demolition cost for that property is $365,747 or less, the property is considered to be cost effective.
• Elevation - if a property is located in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (AE or VE Zone), and the entire elevation cost for that property is $231,640 or less, the property is considered to be cost effective.
• Mitigation Reconstruction - if a property is located in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (AE or VE Zone), and the eligible Federal allowable construction costs are $220,000 or less, the property is considered to be cost effective.
   

Period of Performance

The Period of Performance (POP) is 48 months from the date the State receives the first federal award letter from FEMA under the Swift Current Grant. The POP date will be specified in the Grant Agreement to the sub-recipient, once FEMA makes the first award to North Carolina.

Counties and Jurisdictions may obtain an up-to-date list of properties in your jurisdiction that may be Repetitive Loss or Severe Repetitive Loss by completing a “REQUEST FOR NFIP POLICY HOLDER PII” form and email it to fema-r4-nfip-data-request@fema.dhs.gov. You can download the form at www.NCDPS.gov/BRIC and paste it on city/county letterhead.

If you have any questions about the sub-application process, obtaining access to Salesforce or FEMA GO or technical assistance questions about a sub-application, please contact your any member of the NCEM HM grant development team or either individual listed below:

State Hazard Mitigation Officer: Steve McGugan,  Steve.McGugan@NCDPS.gov or 919-873-5843
HM Development Supervisor: Jason Pleasant,  Jason.Pleasant@NCDPS.gov or  919-873-5852