CHICAGO – Through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), FEMA has awarded the first increment of a $3.18M grant for the acquisition of 18 flood-prone homes in the Ecorse Creek floodplain. The properties will be purchased for fair market value, returned to natural open space and deed restricted to prevent future loss.
“FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of future disaster losses,” said Tom Sivak, Regional Administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This project permanently removes these homes from the floodplain in Dearborn Heights and gives property owners the ability to relocate to areas with lower flood risk and protect the life they’ve built from future loss.”
“This project highlights the collaborative work being done on the local, state, and federal level to build a better, stronger state for all of us,” said Capt. Kevin Sweeney, deputy state director of emergency management and commander of the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD). “This is an improvement for the entire Dearborn Heights community, helping to resolve issues of repeated residential flooding while creating new green space.”
HMGP provides funding to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures following a presidentially declared disaster. For this project, FEMA will pay 90 percent of the $3,534,300 eligible project cost. The remaining 10 percent of the funds, $353,430, will be provided by the city of Dearborn Heights. FEMA will also provide an initial $23,000 to assist Dearborn Heights with grant management costs. FEMA funds will be allocated incrementally to meet project schedules. In the first grant increment, FEMA obligated $795,217.50 to Dearborn Heights in federal grant money. To learn more about HMGP or FEMA’s other Hazard Mitigation Assistance visit www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation.