Dare County has received more than $5 million to elevate 31 flood-prone homes through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Dare County Grants and Waterways office announced Monday that the county has received the FEMA hazard mitigation assistance grant awarded in December 2023 because of the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Dorian, which was declared a federal disaster in 2019.
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The 31 homes that will be elevated this year were selected from applications submitted in 2019 by homeowners in Kitty Hawk, Manteo, Wanchese, Stumpy Point, Manns Harbor, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.
Elevations will begin once the project has been bid out by the state and a contractor has been selected. The project is expected to begin in late this year and take a year to complete. The elevation of each home is expected to take between 60 and 90 days to complete.
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to local and state governments so they can develop hazard mitigation plans and rebuild in a manner that reduces future disaster losses within their communities. This funding, which only becomes available after a presidentially declared disaster occurs, allows structures to be elevated above the known flood level, preventing or reducing the risk of future flood losses.
Over the past 25 years, Dare County has completed the elevation of nearly 100 homes with FEMA assistance, including 27 residences that were elevated in 2023 with funding from a hazard mitigation assistance grant of $6 million awarded in August 2021 as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Florence, declared a federal disaster in 2018.
“In addition to reducing flood insurance claims and keeping insurance rates down, elevating homes located in areas prone to flooding also enhances the resilience of these residences, protecting the homeowners and their belongings from potential future losses,” officials said.
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Although the homes that will be elevated in 2024 using this particular FEMA hazard mitigation assistance grant have already been selected from applications that were submitted following Hurricane Dorian in 2019, homeowners whose properties are located in flood-prone areas are encouraged to watch for grant opportunities that may become available following any future federally declared disasters.
For more information, please contact Dare County Grants and Waterways Administrator Barton Grover at 252-475-5628 or Barton.Grover@DareNC.gov.
Watch a short video released in May 2023 about elevating homes in Dare County through FEMA’s hazard mitigation assistance grant funding.
