Commonwealth Receives $5.7 Million in Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced today the receipt of $5.7 million in awards of pre-disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These awards were received under the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, a nationally competitive program designed to address the impact of flooding on properties insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. These grants are aimed at reducing physical risk to vulnerable structures that have repeatedly flooded.

“VDEM continues to be strategic in our grant application processes. Community impact and return on investment are critical factors in how we prioritize hazard mitigation grants,” said Jeff Stern, State Coordinator of Emergency Management.

VDEM administers these federal funds on behalf of FEMA, and the grant recipients provide matching funds as appropriate. The federal share depends on the number of structures that FEMA designates as “repetitive” and “severe repetitive” loss.

Structures designated as “elevations” will be required to be lifted to a higher level if local floodplain ordinances have higher elevation standards than FEMA.

Jurisdictions receiving funding through these grants include:

Individual addresses for these property owners are not shared out of privacy considerations for property owners.

For localities seeking additional information on hazard mitigation grant funding opportunities, please contact Robbie Coates, VDEM Grants Manager for Disaster Programs, at robert.coates@vdem.virginia.gov.