A waiting list for Kaufman County residents hoping to take part in the Metro Safe Room Rebate Program (MSRRP) will open tonight, Wednesday, June 26, 2013, at 7:00 p.m.
A waiting list for Kaufman County residents hoping to take part in the Metro Safe Room Rebate Program (MSRRP) will open tonight, Wednesday, June 26, 2013, at 7:00 p.m.
Because of an overwhelming response to the rebate program that was open to Dallas, Denton, Collin, and Tarrant counties of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the program will be extended to all 16 eligible counties of NCTCOG. The rebates are funded through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants which will cover half or a maximum of $3,000 towards a storm shelter or safe room.
Kaufman County was not eligible for the last round of rebates issued because the county did not have a Hazard Mitigation Action Plan in place. Over the past several weeks though, the Kaufman County Emergency Management office has been working to establish a Hazard Mitigation Action Plan by contracting with H2O Partners who will conduct public meetings and online webinars to identify and analyze natural hazards affecting residents of the county.
“Because we are in the process of developing our Mitigation Action Plan, our residents are eligible. Residents will need to get on the NCTCOG website and apply after 7:00 p.m. tonight and put your name on the waiting list. Once funding becomes available we will start working down the list,” said Kaufman County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie.
Howie said that the NCTCOG will be working to acquire more funds from FEMA to allow more people to participate in the program. If the funds become available, the funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The rebate program earlier this year was only open for approximately four hours because of the overwhelming amount of applicants.
To register, visit the North Central Texas (NCT) Safe Room Rebate Program's website at: http://www.nctsaferoom.com . The registration for the waiting list will remain open once it opens at 7:00 p.m. for Kaufman County.
To participate, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Must be living or developing in one of the sixteen participating counties listed on the website above.
- Must be the homeowner; contractors/developers may apply but are capped at 3 safe rooms.
- Must NOT be living or developing in a 100 year floodplain (FEMA Flood Zone A/AE) or listed in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
- Must contract with a National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) or American Tornado Association (ATSA) certified supplier.
According to the NCT Safe Room Rebate Program website, “Since this rebate program uses Federal funds, NCTCOG is required by federal law to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The purpose of the Section 106 consultation process is for Federal agencies to take into account what effects their projects will have on historic properties. Therefore, if the home was built in or before 1968 (45 years old), a review from the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) will be requested by NCTCOG on the applicant's behalf, prior to the applicant being approved to receive a rebate. This does not deem the applicant ineligible, this is just an additional review phase required in some cases.”
This program is not retroactive. All applicants must be pre-approved prior to entering into contract or construction of a safe room.
