[Excerpts from June 9 DHS/FEMA Press Release]
Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, announced today grants totaling $1.7 million that will be provided to states and U.S. territories to support the Multi-hazard Flood Map Modernization program. Each state will use the money to develop a multi-year "business case" within six months that will outline a strategy for managing subsequent funding to implement map modernization and to increase state and local capability for developing and maintaining flood hazard data.

The $1.7 million is considered the first phase of the grant funds that will be disbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the program. Phase two, for which funding amounts have not yet been determined, will support the implementation of the approved business plan and activities that facilitate the map production process.

Congress approved approximately $150 million in FY 03 to begin remapping the nation's floodplains to reflect changed circumstances that affect flood hazards, such as new development, and to digitize the entire inventory of flood maps to make them immediately accessible to users.

Full Release

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