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FEMA Provides $10 Million to New Jersey for Climate Resilience Projects in Communities Impacted by Hurricane Ida

Release Date:
Tháng 12 1, 2022

Investment comes from FEMA’s Swift Current Initiative, funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to fund flood mitigation projects post-Hurricane Ida

WASHINGTON -- Today, FEMA announced it has obligated $10 million for flood resilience projects in New Jersey through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current initiative, taking strides towards timely hazard mitigation by expediting money to communities working to become more resilient to floods. 

This is the first FEMA initiative to be funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“Hurricane Ida demonstrated that even those outside the direct path of a hurricane can suffer devastating consequences. The people of New Jersey witnessed this devastation firsthand, as some of the most flood-prone parts of the state saw record levels of flooding,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.  “Thanks to funding provided to FEMA’s Swift Current Initiative by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law, New Jersey will be able to convert many affected properties to open spaces, making this community more resilient to damage from future storms and related flooding.”

Ten million will go toward acquiring and demolishing 31 properties -- 28 of which were substantially damaged by Hurricane Ida -- in the Borough of Manville, New Jersey. Somerset County lands near the Raritan and Millstone rivers will be converted to open space, conservation and flood storage.

Another $280,000 in this round of obligations will also be used to reconstruct two flood-prone structures in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The properties will be rebuilt to higher standards to reduce flood damage and potential NFIP claims payments.

In total, the Swift Current initiative allocates a total of $60 million to Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- all states affected by Hurricane Ida -- to equitably expedite mitigation grants to disaster survivors with repetitively flooded homes. The application period opened April 1 and by Aug. 1 the applicants reached the amount available through the Swift Current initiative.

More information about these and other selections is available on FEMA’s website. FEMA continues to review all other subapplications submitted to the Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current Initiative and will announce further selections in the upcoming months.   

Swift Current funding will be distributed as follows. These states were selected because they have the highest number of unmitigated severe repetitive loss and repetitive loss properties insured under the National Flood Insurance Program and total flood insurance claims as a result of Hurricane Ida within their respective FEMA regions. 

  • Louisiana, $40 million 
  • New Jersey, $10 million
  • Mississippi, $5 million
  • Pennsylvania, $5 million

Swift Current seeks to substantially speed up the award of Flood Mitigation Assistance funding after a flooding event and reduce the complexity of the application process. Its goal is to obligate flood mitigation dollars for repetitively and substantially flood damaged properties insured through the National Flood Insurance Program as quickly and equitably as possible after a disaster event. 

The Flood Mitigation Assistance program is an annual competitive grant program that provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  

The program recognizes the growing flood hazards associated with climate change, and of the need for flood hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation, equity and resilience to flooding. These hazards are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. 

For more information about the Swift Current initiative, visit fema.gov.

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