WASHINGTON -- FEMA today announced 93 local communities, tribes and territories across all 10 FEMA regions will receive non-financial Direct Technical Assistance to help build community-wide resilience through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. This more than doubles the number of recipients from last year. This announcement comes following the agency’s recent announcement on the 656 BRIC recipients.
“FEMA is setting an example in the emergency management community by prioritizing benefits to historically underserved communities,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator Victoria Salinas. “Underserved communities have historically lacked resources to navigate the grant process. Through Direct Technical Assistance, FEMA directly works with these very communities to help advance their community-driven objectives and tap into valuable grants to become more resilient to increasing climate threats.”
This announcement aligns with the 2024 FEMA Year of Resilience theme to build capacity to withstand tomorrow’s hazards.
Through Direct Technical Assistance, FEMA provides wide-ranging support to communities, territories and Tribal Nations that may not have the resources to begin climate resilience planning and project solution design on their own. This non-financial assistance helps jurisdictions to reduce disaster damage, build community resilience and sustain successful mitigation programs.
Selected communities, territories and Tribal National receive support for BRIC DTA from pre-application activities to grant closeout for up to 36 months.
Of the 93 selected, 23 are Tribal Nations, three are territories and 67 are communities. These selections bring the total number of communities, territories, and tribes nationwide previously selected to receive this hands-on support to 167.
Direct Technical Assistance has already benefitted communities since launching in 2020 including Depue, Illinois, in last year’s funding cycle. This year, two 2021 Direct Technical Assistance communities--Crisfield, Maryland, and Eastwick in Philadelphia—were selected during the FY23 BRIC national competition for projects enhancing community climate resilience.
Crisfield was selected for a $36 million flood control project that will improve flood protection, stormwater management, and wetland health. Philadelphia was selected for a $2 million project that will install a flood barrier in Eastwick.
Below lists communities and Tribal Nations that have participated in non-financial BRIC Direct Technical Assistance and were selected the most recent BRIC application cycle. The funding for these selections came from state allocations, tribal set-aside, the building codes set-aside and the national competition. In the federal cost share column, this represents a 75-90% of the total project costs.
| State | Participating Tribal Nation or Community | Project Activity or Title | Entry Year | Federal Cost Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | City of Birmingham | City of Birmingham Shuttlesworth Project Scoping | 2021 | $178,280 |
| Alaska | Native Village of Kwigillingok, | Project Scoping for Potential Relocation Site of the Native Village of Kwigillingok | 2022 | $1,465,058 |
| Arizona | Havasupai Tribe | Flood Warning System and Siren | 2022 | $933,620 |
| California | City of Modesto | BRIC 2023 City of Modesto - Flood Risk Reduction Feasibility Study Scoping Project | 2021 | $476,299 |
| California | Morongo Band of Mission Indians | San Gorgonio – Hathaway Creek Crossings Mitigation Project | 2020 | $1,917,118 |
| Idaho | City of Kamiah | Kamiah Wildfire Mitigation Phased Project | 2020 | $860,915 |
| Kansas | Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation | Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Safe Room Design Plan | 2022 | $1,392,305 |
| Louisiana | St. John The Baptist Parish Council | St. John the Baptist BRIC 2023 Storm Water Drainage and Conveyance Project Scoping | 2021 | $217,004 |
| Maine | Town of Tremont | Town of Tremont - Wharf | 2021 | $75,003 |
| Maine | Town of Tremont | FY23 BRIC – Crockett Point Road Improvements Scoping Application | 2021 | $71,214 |
| Maine | Town of Tremont | FY23 BRIC – Steamboat Road Shoreline Stabilization Scoping Application | 2021 | $118,923 |
| Maine | Town of Tremont | FY23 BRIC – Cape Road Shoreline Stabilization Scoping Application | 2021 | $200,337 |
| Maryland | City of Crisfield | Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project - BRIC | 2021 | $36,210,467 |
| Michigan | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community | Bucks Marina Project | 2021 | $414,916 |
| New Jersey | Commercial Township | BRIC Commercial Township Building Codes Project | 2022 | $104,005 |
| Pennsylvania | City of Philadelphia (Eastwick) | Eastwick Near-Term Flood Barrier Project 2023 BRIC | 2021 | $2,124,340 |
| South Dakota | Oglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation | BIA Route 26 Improvement Project and Transportation Planning for Emergency Management | 2022 | $311,389 |
| South Dakota | Oglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation | BIA Route 27 Embankment Stabilization | 2022 | $1,799,721 |
| Wisconsin | Oneida Nation | Oneida Nation Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan 2025-2030 | 2022 | $44,447 |
For a full list of selected communities from 2021 to present, visit FEMA.gov.