Columbia County, Florida

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida Division of Emergency Management have received the
following application for Federal grant funding. Final notice is hereby given of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency’s (FEMA) consideration to provide funding in the form of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Funds will be provided in accordance with Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended. 

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible
alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive
Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990 FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide public notice of any
proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands 

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state and
local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Applicant:

Columbia County, FL 

Project Title:

HMGP-4734-0170-FL - Columbia County, Critical Facilities, Generators 

Location of Proposed Work: 

The area affected by this project consists of the following locations:

Proposed Work and Purpose: 

Proposed Work: The project entails the procurement and installation of 21 emergency standby generators across
critical facilities in Columbia County, including community centers, fire stations, and libraries. This initiative will
ensure uninterrupted power supply during outages, enabling these vital facilities to maintain operations during and
after disaster events. 

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to enhance Columbia County's resilience to natural disasters by securing
continuous electrical service at essential community and emergency response facilities. By doing so, the county aims
to safeguard public safety, preserve critical services, and facilitate quicker recovery and response during
emergencies. 

Project Alternatives:

The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no action alternative and 2) the
relocation of essential services or the acquisition and demolition of existing facilities to rebuild in less vulnerable
areas These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under Alternative 1) If no action is taken,
Columbia County would continue to face disruptions in critical services during power outages caused by natural
disasters. This lack of mitigation would leave essential facilities like fire stations, libraries, and community centers
without power, exacerbating the risks to public safety and significantly delaying emergency and recovery
operations; and Alternative 2) this approach does not retain the essential fabric and accessibility of the community's
established services. Additionally, the costs associated with relocating and rebuilding these facilities are
prohibitively high and logistically complex, rendering this option impractical. 

Comment Period: 

Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties in order to
consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed
to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Mitigation, 2489 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee,
FL 32399-2100. These are due within 15 days of this notice. The State will forward comments to applicable
regulatory agencies as needed. Interested persons may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about
the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:

Dennis Rivera Columbia County
(386) 758-1005
drivera@columbiacountyfla.com

State Environmental Specialist Team
Florida Division of Emergency Management
itigationEnvironmental@em.myflorida.com