Virginia Beach Get Funds to Reduce Wind Damage
Release Date: March 24, 2000
Release Number: R3-00-04
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, will receive funding for hazard-mitigation projects totaling $966,000 to reduce the risk of potential wind damage to a fire station and four schools.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the city's projects to make structural improvements and install hurricane shutters at the London Bridge Fire Station. Cox High School, Landstown and Larkspur middle schools and Corporate Landing Elementary School, which are designated as shelters during emergency events, will get hurricane shutters and the installation of quick connections for emergency power supplies.
FEMA will release $724,500 to the state of Virginia as the federal share - 75 percent - of the estimated project cost. Local and state jurisdictions will provide the remaining 25 percent.
The federal funds come from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which is intended to reduce risk from future disasters by breaking the disaster-repair-disaster cycle, thus saving economic and emotional costs.
Communities present hazard-mitigation proposals to their states. The states select from among these proposals, using their own criteria. FEMA reviews the states' choices to make sure they comply with federal law and are cost effective. If the proposals pass these tests, FEMA releases the funds to the states.
Hazard-mitigation funds are limited. The money available is an additional amount equivalent to 15 percent of the federal money spent on response and recovery operations in a federally declared disaster.
Virginia Beach participates in FEMA's nationwide initiative Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 18-Nov-2003 15:22:08