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As we cross the halfway mark of hurricane season, community resiliency is at the forefront of discussions on increased storm hazards and the long-term viability of communities. Following an announcement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on August 28, more than 500 communities are poised to move forward with community resiliency planning and construction projects funded by 2022 FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants.
WithersRavenel’s Funding team helped two North Carolina local governments and one regional council apply for a combined total of $8,334,000 for hazard mitigation projects. To advance to selection, these three shovel-ready construction projects demonstrated all required technical, qualitative, and quantitative application elements required by FEMA. We completed all letter of interest and application steps during the 2022 FEMA BRIC grants process.
Application support for FEMA BRIC funding activities begins with developing a Letter of Interest and continues through pre-application and final application submission. FEMA BRIC grant applications include these key components:
- Project need justification (quantitative requirements)
- Scenario-specific narrative writing (qualitative elements)
- Historic damage costs or engineer-developed benefit–cost analyses (BCA)
- Detailed project budgets
- Realistic implementation schedules
When awarded, these funds will be used at the local level for construction activities designed to significantly reduce or eliminate community health and safety impacts caused by significant storm events. These projects will also lessen local, state, and federal cost burdens from repetitive storms.
FEMA has already announced the details of the 2023 BRIC grant program—and the first deadline is fast approaching. Eligible applicants in North Carolina need to submit their Letter(s) of Interest (LOI) to apply for grant funds no later than Monday, October 2, 2023, at 5 PM ET.
To determine if your unit of local government or tribal nation has an eligible project, or for any other technical assistance regarding your LOI or subsequent pre-application and final application, contact Funding Senior Technical Consultant Mary Glasscock at (919) 971-3494 or mglasscock@withersravenel.com.