July 3, 2024

FEMA: 93 More Communities and Tribes Added to Program for Free Hands-On Support to Build Climate Resiliency, Bringing Total to 167 Nationwide

FEMA today announced 93 local communities, tribes and territories across all 10 FEMA regions will receive non-financial Direct Technical Assistance to help build community-wide resilience through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. This more than doubles the number of recipients from last year. This announcement comes following the agency’s recent announcement on the 656 BRIC recipients. 

“FEMA is setting an example in the emergency management community by prioritizing benefits to historically underserved communities,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator Victoria Salinas. “Underserved communities have historically lacked resources to navigate the grant process. Through Direct Technical Assistance, FEMA directly works with these very communities to help advance their community-driven objectives and tap into valuable grants to become more resilient to increasing climate threats.”

This announcement aligns with the 2024 FEMA Year of Resilience theme to build capacity to withstand tomorrow’s hazards.

Through Direct Technical Assistance, FEMA provides wide-ranging support to communities, territories and Tribal Nations that may not have the resources to begin climate resilience planning and project solution design on their own. This non-financial assistance helps jurisdictions to reduce disaster damage, build community resilience and sustain successful mitigation programs.

Selected communities, territories and Tribal National receive support for BRIC DTA from pre-application activities to grant closeout for up to 36 months. 

Of the 93 selected, 23 are Tribal Nations, three are territories and 67 are communities. These selections bring the total number of communities, territories, and tribes nationwide previously selected to receive this hands-on support to 167. 

Direct Technical Assistance has already benefitted communities since launching in 2020 including Depue, Illinois, in last year’s funding cycle. This year, two 2021 Direct Technical Assistance communities–Crisfield, Maryland, and Eastwick in Philadelphia—were selected during the FY23 BRIC national competition for projects enhancing community climate resilience. 

Crisfield was selected for a $36 million flood control project that will improve flood protection, stormwater management, and wetland health. Philadelphia was selected for a $2 million project that will install a flood barrier in Eastwick. 

Below lists communities and Tribal Nations that have participated in the non-financial BRIC Direct Technical Assistance program and were selected the most recent BRIC application cycle. The funding for these selections came from state allocations, tribal set-aside, the building codes set-aside and the national competition. In the federal cost share column, this represents a 75-90% of the total project costs. 

StateAlabamaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityCity of BirminghamProject Activity or Title City of Birmingham Shuttlesworth Project ScopingEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$178,280
StateAlaskaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityNative Village of Kwigillingok,Project Activity or Title Project Scoping for Potential Relocation Site of the Native Village of KwigillingokEntry Year2022Federal Cost Share$1,465,058
StateArizonaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityHavasupai TribeProject Activity or Title Flood Warning System and SirenEntry Year2022Federal Cost Share$933,620
StateCaliforniaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityCity of ModestoProject Activity or Title BRIC 2023 City of Modesto – Flood Risk Reduction Feasibility Study Scoping ProjectEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$476,299
StateCaliforniaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityMorongo Band of Mission IndiansProject Activity or Title San Gorgonio – Hathaway Creek Crossings Mitigation ProjectEntry Year2020Federal Cost Share$1,917,118
StateIdahoParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityCity of KamiahProject Activity or Title Kamiah Wildfire Mitigation Phased ProjectEntry Year2020Federal Cost Share$860,915
StateKansasParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityPrairie Band Potawatomi NationProject Activity or Title Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Safe Room Design PlanEntry Year2022Federal Cost Share$1,392,305
StateLouisianaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunitySt. John The Baptist Parish CouncilProject Activity or Title St. John the Baptist BRIC 2023 Storm Water Drainage and Conveyance Project ScopingEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$217,004
StateMaineParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityTown of TremontProject Activity or Title Town of Tremont – WharfEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$75,003
StateMaineParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityTown of TremontProject Activity or Title FY23 BRIC – Crockett Point Road Improvements Scoping ApplicationEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$71,214
StateMaineParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityTown of TremontProject Activity or Title FY23 BRIC – Steamboat Road Shoreline Stabilization Scoping ApplicationEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$118,923
StateMaineParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityTown of TremontProject Activity or Title FY23 BRIC – Cape Road Shoreline Stabilization Scoping ApplicationEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$200,337
StateMarylandParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityCity of CrisfieldProject Activity or Title Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project – BRICEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$36,210,467
StateMichiganParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityKeweenaw Bay Indian CommunityProject Activity or Title Bucks Marina ProjectEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$414,916
StateNew JerseyParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityCommercial TownshipProject Activity or Title BRIC Commercial Township Building Codes ProjectEntry Year2022Federal Cost Share$104,005
StatePennsylvaniaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityCity of Philadelphia (Eastwick)Project Activity or Title Eastwick Near-Term Flood Barrier Project 2023 BRICEntry Year2021Federal Cost Share$2,124,340
StateSouth DakotaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityOglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Indian ReservationProject Activity or Title BIA Route 26 Improvement Project and Transportation Planning for Emergency ManagementEntry Year2022Federal Cost Share$311,389
StateSouth DakotaParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityOglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Indian ReservationProject Activity or Title BIA Route 27 Embankment StabilizationEntry Year2022Federal Cost Share$1,799,721
StateWisconsinParticipating Tribal Nation or CommunityOneida NationProject Activity or Title Oneida Nation Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan 2025-2030Entry Year2022Federal Cost Share$44,447
This post was originally published here.