ATLANTA – Kentucky Emergency Management has been awarded a $570,500 grant from FEMA to reduce risk from future disasters.
The grant is funded through a new mitigation program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), to help states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards.
“Kentucky Emergency Management appreciates the continued partnership with FEMA,” said Director of Kentucky Emergency Management Col. Jeremy Slinker. This is a step in the right direction to ensure that all Kentuckians are prepared for any and every disaster that will affect the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the future. We are proud to be the first to receive this in FEMA Region 4.”
Three projects are included in the award for fiscal year 2020.
- $320,000 federal share to update the Commonwealth’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan.
- $213,000 federal share to assist the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Office of Energy Policy to identify future mitigation projects geared toward energy.
- $37,500 federal share for the City of Elizabethtown to conduct a study on expanding an existing detention basin at Elizabethtown High School. This could improve stormwater drainage and mitigate flooding in the low lying Henon Lane area.
FEMA will pay 75% of the eligible project costs. The remaining 25% will be provided by the state or local community.
“This award is funding projects to help Kentucky communities become more resilient and better able to withstand the impacts from weather events and other disasters,” said FEMA Region 4 Administrator Gracia Szczech.
The BRIC program’s funding will help meet the increased demand for hazard mitigation across the nation and will enhance FEMA’s work to reach historically underserved communities. To learn more about the BRIC grant program, visit www.fema.gov/bric.