The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) is accepting applications from Michigan homeowners for a Saferoom Rebate Program. Homeowners who are selected through the random selection process and qualify for the rebate program are eligible for a rebate of 75% of the allowable costs that was used to install and construct their safe room, up to a maximum of $7,131.75. This is a "REBATE" program, only AFTER the installation, construction, and payment of a FEMA compliant safe room will selected and qualified applicants be reimbursed for eligible costs.
Homeowners who have been selected must attend a mandatory "Safe Room Briefing" meeting to be eligible for the rebate. Failure to attend this meeting will result in homeowner no longer being deemed eligible for this program.
Funding for the Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program is made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program (75%), and homeowner contributions (25%). The MSP/EMHSD will randomly select 50 homeowners for inclusion in the program, contingent upon federal funding. Additionally, MSP/EMHSD will select 100 back-up homeowners for this program that will be moved to the funding list in order of selection if selected homeowners withdraw from the program. The priority list of randomly selected applicants from the drawing will be notified by email.
All safe rooms funded under the program must be constructed and installed in accordance with FEMA published guidelines (FEMA P-320 and FEMA P-361). After construction and installation, the applicant's contractor must certify that the safe room meets FEMA requirements listed in FEMA P-320 and FEMA P-361.
Applicants will be randomly selected from the National Risk Index (NRI) using the Microsoft Excel randomizer function. Forty-five applications and 90 back-up applications will be selected from Relatively Moderate, Relatively High and Very High NRI categories and five applications and 10 back-up applications will be selected from Relatively Low and Very Low NRI categories.
The top applicants up to the maximum number from the randomizer will be selected for the rebate program and submitted to FEMA for approval (50 total statewide). Back-up applicants will be selected for each district up to the maximum number of back-up applicants per district (100 total statewide). The 100 back-up applicants will also be submitted to FEMA should any of the first 50 applicants decide not to move forward with the process.
You must be a resident of the State of Michigan with a permanent residence located in Michigan. Only one person per household is eligible to apply. If you own more than one home, you may only apply for a rebate for your primary residence (the address listed on your Michigan driver's license). This program is for single family homes, apartment buildings and rental units are not eligible.
You will be notified if your application is selected and Michigan receives funding for the program. You will have 30 days from the date of this notice to confirm that you still wish to participate in the Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program (the application process with FEMA could take up to one year). You will be automatically withdrawn from the Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program if a signed Confirmation of Homeowner Interest form is not received by MSP/EMHSD within 30 days of your notification of selection. MSP-EMHSD will notify you by email if you are automatically withdrawn from the program.
Once you have confirmed your participation, you will be required to attend a one-hour participant briefing. The briefing will be scheduled after applicants have had the opportunity to confirm their participation by returning a signed Confirmation of Homeowner Interest form. The briefing will be held on Microsoft Teams and requires applicants to have the use of Microsoft Teams on a computer, tablet, or smart phone. The briefing will cover program rules and provide an additional opportunity to have your questions answered. Following the participant briefing you will have 45 days to make a final decision on the type of safe room you are proposing to install. The safe room type selections are below ground interior, below ground exterior, above ground interior or above ground exterior. You will be withdrawn from the program if the final decision on safe room type is not made within 45 days after the participant briefing. NO CHANGE to your safe room type can be made after this 45-day deadline.
Following the participant briefing and your safe room type selection, you will be issued a Notice to Proceed. Your Notice to Proceed will include a deadline by which your safe room must be constructed/installed. It is the homeowners' responsibility to hire a qualified contractor/company to install/construct a safe room that meets or exceeds FEMA Publication 320 and/or FEMA Publication 361 specifications.
Once you have received your Notice to Proceed you will have 90 days to submit a safe room plan (engineered drawings), a copy of your local building permit, and a copy of your zoning permit (if applicable) to MSP/EMHSD. You will be withdrawn from the program if a safe room plan and copy of your permit(s) is not received by MSP/EMHSD within 90 days after the receipt of your Notice to Proceed.
In order to receive the rebate, all documentation below must be submitted to MSP/EMHSD prior to the date indicated on your Notice to Proceed. In order to receive your rebate, you must submit a certificate of installation signed by a contractor verifying that your safe room meets or exceeds FEMA Publication 320 and/or FEMA Publication 361 specifications. An inspection may be required to verify safe room installation/construction on the property. The homeowner must also submit documentation required to verify cost and payment. Required documentation to process your rebate includes but may not be limited to:
You cannot receive a rebate before the safe room is installed/constructed. The rebate is only available as a partial reimbursement after construction is completed and you have submitted the required documentation verifying that your safe room meets or exceeds FEMA 320 and/or FEMA 361 specifications. The maximum rebate for the program is $7,131.75 or 75% of the final cost, whichever is less. The Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program cannot reimburse for safe rooms constructed prior to the homeowner application being approved by FEMA and MSP-EMHSD has advised the property owner to proceed with construction/installation.
If you are selected for the Michigan Safe Room Rebate program, you must register with the State of Michigan's SIGMA Vendor Self Service (VSS) system in order to receive your Michigan Safe Room rebate. You will receive your rebate as an electronic funds transfer through SIGMA VSS. This is the only method to receive your rebate. If you do not register in SIGMA VSS and provide your SIGMA VSS information to MSP/EMHSD, your rebate will not be processed.
Any type of safe room is eligible for the rebate, as long as it meets or exceeds the specifications set forth in FEMA Publication 320 and/or FEMA Publication 361. The safe room must meet criteria in FEMA Publication 320 and/or FEMA Publication 361 and meet the ICC 500 Standard for the Design and construction of Storm Shelters. In addition, the Residential Building Code of Michigan requires compliance with ICC 500 and the homeowner secures a building permit from the Authority Having Jurisdiction for inspections. If there is no local certified residential building department in your jurisdiction, additional arrangements will be made to have the installation/construction of your safe room inspected for compliance with FEMA 320 and/or FEMA 361.
The safe room may be installed in a new or existing home and must be sized for the maximum number of people that could reasonably occupy a residence. The rule commonly applied is two occupants per bedroom. FEMA guidance states a minimum safe room size of three square feet per person, with additional space needed for persons with physical disabilities. The example minimum safe room size for a typical house would be as follows: 2 occupants x 3 bedrooms x 3 square feet per occupant = 18 square feet minimum. The maximum safe room size will vary with each specific safe room type. Wherever the safe room is installed, it must be readily accessible to all occupants.
To be eligible, the safe room must be installed on property owned by the applicant, and that property must be the applicant's primary residence.
Projects funded by BRIC must pass a FEMA benefit cost analysis (BCA). For residential safe rooms, FEMA has a statewide predetermined BCA amount of $9,509 for Michigan. For applicants using the predetermined BCA amount, this means the maximum cost to purchase and install a saferoom is $9,509. Your rebate is calculated at a 75% federal share and 25% match provided by the applicant. The maximum rebate amount for the program is $7,131.75 (75% of $9,509). If the safe room costs less than $9,509 the rebate will be 75% of the total cost with the applicant providing 25%.
If your proposed safe room costs more than $9,509, than you must complete a FEMA BCA Toolkit for your address. The BCA Toolkit is a downloadable Microsoft Excel plug-in. The BCA amount for your address must equal 1.0 or higher, meaning the proposed benefit must be equal to or higher than the proposed cost to construct and install the safe room. If your proposed safe room costs more than the predetermined BCA amount of $9,509 with a maximum federal share of $7,131.75, the applicant is responsible for the additional cost. For example, if the proposed safe room is $10,000, the maximum federal share is $7,131.75 and the applicant is responsible for $2,868.25.
If the BCA amount for your address is less than 1.0, then your safe room proposal is not eligible for the Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program. Your project could become eligible if you propose a less expensive safe room, so the cost is equal to or less than the benefit amount determined by the BCA.
