NJ.com — Homeowners in N.J. town devastated by Ida get $10M to buy out flood-prone properties

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden tours a neighborhood impacted by Hurricane Ida in Manville, N.J. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., looks on at right. Surveying damage from California wildfires to hurricane-induced flooding in Louisiana and New York Biden said America must get serious about the “code red” danger posed by global warming. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) APAP

Nov 30, 2022

By Steven Roads / NK Advance Media for NJ.com — More than a year after the remnants of Hurricane Ida battered New Jersey, including large portions of Manville, FEMA will provide about $10 million to help fortify the borough against future storms, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The funds will be provided through the agency’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current initiative, which federal officials said aims to help communities become more resilient against flooding considering storms are becoming fiercer and more frequent due to climate change.

“Hurricane Ida demonstrated that even those outside the direct path of a hurricane can suffer devastating consequences. The people of New Jersey witnessed this devastation firsthand, as some of the most flood-prone parts of the state saw record levels of flooding,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement ahead of an announcement on the funds set to be released Thursday.

“Thanks to funding provided to FEMA’s Swift Current Initiative by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law, New Jersey will be able to convert many affected properties to open spaces, making this community more resilient to damage from future storms and related flooding,” Criswell added.

According to FEMA, $60 million — $10 million for New Jersey, $40 million for Louisiana, $5 million for Mississippi and $5 million for Pennsylvania — in relief is part the agency’s first initiative funded through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

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