The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced $10 million in funding Dec. 1 for post-Ida flood mitigation projects in the Garden State through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current initiative.
The funding, the first FEMA program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to make communities more resilient to floods.
Swift Current also seeks to speed up the awarding of Flood Mitigation Assistance after a flooding event while reducing the complexity of the application process.
President Joe Biden (center front) and Gov. Phil Murphy (far left) tour Hurricane Ida damages in Manville on Sept. 7, 2021. – EDWIN J. TORRES/NJ GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
“Hurricane Ida demonstrated that even those outside the direct path of a hurricane can suffer devastating consequences,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “The people of New Jersey witnessed this devastation firsthand, as some of the most flood-prone parts of the state saw record levels of flooding.”
Criswell said thanks to the funding, New Jersey will be able to convert many affected properties to open spaces to make the community more resilient to damage from future storms and related flooding.
The $10 million will go toward acquiring and demolishing 31 properties, 28 of which were substantially damaged by Ida, in Manville. The lands in Somerset County near the Raritan and Millstone rivers will be converted to open space, conservation and flood storage.
