Senators Levin, Stabenow Announce Additional FEMA Grant of $527,600 for Macomb Township

WASHINGTON – Residents of Patnick Drive in Macomb Township will soon be able to put the floodwaters behind them once and for all. U.S. Senators Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a proposal that will allow Macomb Township to buy out property owners whose homes were flooded two years ago and again in May 2004. FEMA will contribute 75 percent of the $983,600 cost of the project to buy the Patnick Drive properties and Macomb Township will pay the remaining 25 percent or $245,800.

“This is a win-win deal,” said Levin. “The Patnick Drive homeowners who lost their property because of the floods will be able to move on with their lives and Macomb Township will have the opportunity to gain valuable open space. All of the parties worked very hard to achieve this positive outcome that will benefit the entire community.”

“I congratulate all parties on reaching an agreement on the best way to address the problem of flood-damaged homes in Macomb Township,” Stabenow said. “This mitigation effort is a positive step forward for the property owners and the community.”

Under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, FEMA pays up to 75 percent of the cost of long-term measures to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters. A flood mitigation plan for Patnick Drive in 2001 called for the homes to be elevated above flood levels. In March 2002, Macomb County received $210,200 from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to elevate the affected properties but due to a number of factors including the 25 percent match required of homeowners, and the age and condition of the homes, the monies were not used.

After Patnick Drive flooded again in May, Macomb County proposed that the township acquire the properties and turn the area into a riverfront park. Levin’s office worked with the interested parties including the landowners, Macomb Township, Macomb County, the State of Michigan and FEMA to change the scope of the grant from a mitigation project to an acquisition project.

FEMA’s approval today and the additional grant award pave the way for Macomb Township to begin the process. The funds will be used for a voluntary project to acquire four homes and two vacant lots at pre-disaster fair market values. The homes will be razed and the land will be kept as public open space in perpetuity.

The Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division will administer the funds from FEMA.