In the two years since President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, FEMA has taken significant steps boost the nation’s resiliency, including infusing extra money into existing grant programs and new initiatives to reduce disaster suffering and avoid future disaster costs.
In Region 1, this includes almost $12 million in grant funding to the City of Meriden to help address repetitive flooding problems along Harbor Brook in the downtown area.
The $11,645,250 in Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants will fund improvements along an 1,800-foot stretch of Harbor Brook from Cooper Street to the Amtrak railroad tracks near Colony Street. The project includes channel realignment and profile adjustment, removing two undersized bridges to remove flow constrictions, floodproofing three buildings, creating riparian floodplain and wildlife habitat, modifications and relocations of impacted utilities, and the installation of a waterfront trail system.
The grants amount to roughly 79 percent of the total $14,727,000 price tag for this project, which will be funded through the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS). Part of the funding will go to the City of Meriden to pay for staff costs associated with managing the project over several years.
This project is part of the city’s larger floodplain management plan for the area that also includes the demolition of the former Castle Bank at 100 Hanover St. and a former powerhouse located at 104 Butler St., both city-owned properties, to help restore the floodplain.
“FEMA is extremely pleased to assist Meriden in their efforts to reduce flooding damage,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Studies have shown that every dollar spent on mitigation saves roughly $6 in future disaster losses, so grants like this one are smart investments that pay off in the long run and help keep our communities safe.”
This project is a Justice40 project providing benefit to a disadvantaged community across one or more of the following seven areas: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure. President Biden announced the Justice40 initiative, mandating that at least 40 percent of the benefits of certain federal investments must flow to disadvantaged communities, in January 2021.
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants programs are an important source of funding for states and communities seeking long-term solutions that reduce the impact of disasters in the future.