CHICAGO – Through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $1,486,658 to the city of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, for the acquisition and demolition of four floodprone structures. The structures include three floodprone homes and one commercial property located in the floodplain of the Baraboo River. To reduce the community’s flood vulnerability, these structures will be removed from the flood hazard area, and the location will be reverted to open space maintained by the city.
“FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of disaster losses,” said Moises Dugan, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “The acquisition and demolition of these structures permanently removes them from the floodplain and increases the community’s resilience to future flooding.”
“Flooding is Wisconsin’s most costly natural disaster,” said Greg Engle, acting administrator for Wisconsin Emergency Management. “Purchasing these floodprone properties in Reedsburg not only eliminates the cycle of repetitive flood loss, it lifts the financial burden associated with rebuilding after a flood.”
After flooding in 2018, Wisconsin Emergency Management worked with the city of Reedsburg to apply for funding for floodplain buyouts. HMGP provides grants to state, tribal and local governments to implement longterm hazard mitigation measures.
For these projects, FEMA will pay 75% of the $1,982,211 eligible project cost. The remaining 25% of the funds, $495,553, will be provided by the state of Wisconsin and the city of Reedsburg. FEMA will also fund an initial $46,460 in sub-recipient management costs to assist Reedsburg in managing these grants. To learn more about HMGP or FEMA’s other Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs, visit fema.gov/grants/mitigation<fema.gov/grants/mitigation.
