FEMA Provides Update to BRIC Termination

ByNews Editor

FEMA issued an advisory on April 16 with an update on its decision to halt the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program (BRIC) and provided some clarification on the status projects that have started construction. The agency also said it “is working to develop a new approach to mitigation that is more responsive to state and local requirements, achieves clear mitigation goals, and results in more-timely obligation of funding.” 

In the meantime, the FEMA website will be updated to show the status of every project selected for BRIC funding over the last four years and whether that project is now fully obligated, partially obligated or cancelled.

In the advisory, FEMA also reiterated that the Fiscal Year 2024 BRIC funding opportunity is cancelled, no applications submitted will be reviewed and no funds will be awarded. In addition, any undistributed grant funds from FY 2020-2023 will be returned either to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury.

Outstanding BRIC Projects and Next Steps

FEMA says it will be reaching out and coordinating with recipients on projects and offered the following details on next steps:  

  • Recipients will be able to complete fully obligated projects that have started construction and will be able to expend all associated funds. FEMA will also obligate management costs associated with partially or fully obligated projects.
  • Fully obligated projects that have not started construction will not be approved and will end. 
  • For phased projects, FEMA Regions will work closely with applicants on already obligated projects to determine the best path forward for those projects. This may include ending the project after the completion of Phase 1 or at another appropriate stopping point.
  • FEMA will not be extending project deadlines without the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the FEMA Administrator’s approval.
  • Management costs will only continue for partially or fully obligated projects

States and Experts Make the Case for Mitigation

Since the announcement of the cancellation of BRIC, numerous states have expressed deep concerns about the loss of funding for much-needed mitigation projects, including Florida, which reportedly lost nearly $300 million and Louisiana, which said it had projects worth more than $720 million cancelled or put on hold. 

In the March 15 issue of News & Views, ASFPM shared commentaries from ASFPM Executive Director Chad Berginnis and former FEMA Resilience Executive David Maurstad on the misguided decision to cut BRIC and the importance and effectiveness of mitigation. 

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