$1.93 Million FEMA Grant Will 'Green Up' Tuscaloosa Floodplain 

Green space will now replace some buildings that suffered repeated flooding

Release Date: October 2, 2008
Release Number: R4-08-225

ATLANTA, Ga. -- The city of Tuscaloosa is getting a grant of $1,931,204 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to acquire 23 properties affected over the years by repetitive flooding. The properties, many of which were substantially damaged by recent flooding, will become green space.

The grant will fund removal of residential homes found on two neighborhood streets in the college town that have experienced flooding over many years. As part of the agreement among the city of Tuscaloosa, the state and FEMA, the space where the homes once sat will now be returned to the environment and left open. The space may become a residential park or a natural open area.

With structures removed from the floodway and floodplain areas, the land will provide a natural buffer and a space where future flooding will cause little or no damage. When floodwaters can spread out in an open space that is free of obstruction, both the height and the speed of the flowing water is diminished and can reduce or prevent damage to areas downstream.

Tuscaloosa's local officials have worked with individual residents and the state of Alabama to identify properties that met FEMA's guidelines for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Funding for the grant came from monies set aside by FEMA after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

"Mitigation saves our nation $4 for every dollar spent. Tuscaloosa's mitigation activities show that the state and local communities are working together with FEMA and other partners to make mitigation happen," said FEMA Region IV Administrator Phil May. "And by making our communities safer in the first place, we make great strides toward reducing the need for federal post-disaster recovery funds."

The $1.9 million grant represents a 75 percent cost share of the $2,574,939 total. HMGP provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Monday, 06-Oct-2008 16:51:17