(a) The Emergency Relief Program is intended to aid recipients and subrecipients in restoring public transportation service and in repairing and reconstructing public transportation assets to a state of good repair as expeditiously as possible following an emergency or major disaster.
(b) Emergency relief funds are not intended to supplant other Federal funds for the correction of preexisting, non-disaster related deficiencies.
(c) Following an emergency, affected recipients may include projects that increase the resilience of affected public transportation systems to protect the systems from the effects of future emergencies and major disasters.
(d) The expenditure of emergency relief funds for emergency repair shall be in such a manner so as to reduce, to the greatest extent feasible, the cost of permanent restoration work completed after the emergency or major disaster.
(e) Emergency relief funds, or funds made available under 49 U.S.C. 5307 (Urbanized Area Formula Program) or 49 U.S.C. 5311 (Rural Area Formula Program) awarded for emergency relief purposes shall not duplicate assistance under another Federal program or compensation from insurance or any other source. Partial compensation for a loss by other sources will not preclude FTA emergency relief fund assistance for the part of such loss not compensated otherwise. Any compensation for damages or insurance proceeds for repair or replacement of the public transit equipment or facility must be used upon receipt to reduce FTA's emergency relief fund participation in the project.
(1) If a recipient receives insurance proceeds that are directly attributable to specific assets, the recipient must:
(i) Apply those proceeds to the cost of replacing or repairing the damaged or destroyed project property; or
(ii) Return to FTA an amount equal to the remaining Federal interest in the lost, damaged, or destroyed project property.
(2) If under the terms of its policy a recipient receives insurance proceeds that are not attributable to specific assets, such as blanket, lump-sum, or unallocated proceeds, FTA, in consultation with the recipient, will determine the portion of such proceeds that the recipient must attribute to transit assets.
(3) Any insurance proceeds not attributable to transit assets may be used for other purposes without obligation to FTA, including as local share for FTA grants.
(f) The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.) provides that Federal agencies may not provide any financial assistance for the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, repair, or improvement of a building in a special flood hazard area (100-year flood zone) unless the recipient has first acquired flood insurance to cover the buildings and contents constructed or repaired with Federal funds, in an amount at least equal to the Federal investment (less land cost) or to the maximum limit of coverage made available under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, whichever is less.
(1) Transit facilities to which this paragraph (f) applies are buildings located in special flood hazard areas and include but are not limited to maintenance facilities, storage facilities, above-ground stations and terminals, and manufactured or modular office trailers.
(2) Flood insurance is not required for underground subway stations, track, tunnels, ferry docks, or to any transit facilities located outside of a special flood hazard area.
(g) Recipients must obtain and maintain flood insurance on those buildings and contents for which FTA has provided funds.