State-chosen resilience projects to receive $30 million

Nearly $6 million of $30 million in state disaster-relief money is marked to go to 10 resiliency efforts along the coast.

North Carolina Emergency Management announced Tuesday that a total of 27 grant recipients statewide were selected for the first round of funding through the 2023 Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund. Emergency Management is under the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

State agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and public authorities could apply for the $30 million authorized through the 2023 Appropriations Act.

Eligible categories of work authorized for the grant are flood mitigation efforts, transportation resilience, disaster relief and flood mitigation technical assistance for small and underserved communities, and local cost share assistance for federal funds on approved federal mitigation grants.

“I would like to thank all of the applicants for taking the time to submit well thought out and actionable projects that will reduce North Carolina’s vulnerability to natural disasters” N.C. Emergency Management Director Will Ray said. “It takes all members of a community to come together to find solutions to the disasters that threaten our state.”

The funding for coastal communities includes the following:

• $1.26 million to North Topsail for beach stormwater infiltration.
• $1 million to Duck for N.C. Highway 12 living shoreline resiliency.
• $1 million to Leland for Old Fayetteville culvert replacement.
• $820,000 to Elizabeth City for Flora Street stormwater improvement.
• $770,000 to Dare County for Old Lighthouse Road Stormwater Improvement.
• $565,200 to Surf City for roadside stormwater project.
• $425,000 to Friso Volunteer Fire Department Fire Station for resilient design.
• $400,000 to Vandemere for Shell Castle Lane improvement.
• $270,500 to Pine Knoll Shores for phase three of its East End stormwater project.
• $225,000 to River Bend for stormwater system assessment.

The full list of grant recipients is available on the state Department of Public Safety website.