Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) announced the release of $1,370,000 to help eliminate future flood losses like those occurring in Avery County during the heavy rains of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan last year. McHenry was actively involved in securing these funds and worked with several federal agencies to hasten the release of the money.

The funds are part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation grant that will also include state and local funding. Avery County will receive a $1,027,995 grant from FEMA, 75 percent of the total cost. The state of North Carolina will cover the balance of $342,665.

“These funds will provide much-needed assistance for families whose homes lie in floodplains and have been irreparably damaged by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan,” explained Congressman McHenry. “I support this program because it depends on the voluntary participation of the property owners involved; they are in charge and not some government bureaucrat in Washington.”

The project will acquire 10 floodplain properties in the Avery County towns of Newland and Minneapolis. All acquisition and demolition activities are based solely on voluntary participation by the homeowners. The homes are located in the flood hazard area and were substantially damaged by flooding to the point of being uninhabitable. Removing these structures from the floodplain will also reduce associated pollution and environmental degradation thereby yielding benefits for the other properties in downstream communities.

The FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.

Congressman McHenry commented on the importance of this grant, “I have worked hard to see that this program was available for affected families in Avery County. Now I will continue to work to see that the funds are used efficiently and wisely. This is important to Avery County and that makes it important to me.”