A new series of state grants will help improve drainage, repair sewer systems, and replace waterlines in several communities hit hard by Hurricane Matthew, the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced today.
The grants are part of $10.25 million in funding provided by the state legislature to N.C. Commerce to address rural economic development and small business needs following the storm and its historic floods. These recovery grants are a small part of a larger effort to help hurricane-affected communities recover and rebuild.
“Many North Carolinians are still on the road to recovery from Hurricane Matthew, and these grants will help communities with key efforts to rebuild,” Governor Roy Cooper said.
The following communities will receive hurricane recovery grants:
- Bladenboro in Bladen County will receive $126,720 to support the removal of trees, storm debris and sediment clogging the main drainage system in the town.
- Snow Hill in Greene County will receive $244,310 to relocate and replace the existing pump station #6 with a pump station constructed outside the adjacent floodplain.
- Greene County will receive $52,863 to replace part of a water line and place it below the drainage system and Contentnea Creek tributary crossing.
- Elizabeth City in Pasquotank County will receive $475,532 to replace sewer infrastructure for the Parkview Interceptor project.
- Farmville in Pitt County will receive $75,000 to replace collapsed storm drainage piping and catch basins on Wallace Street that failed and caused localized flooding during Hurricane Matthew.
- Ayden in Pitt County will receive $187,100 to replace and redirect collapsed and failing storm sewer piping that caused localized flooding and sink holes during Hurricane Matthew.
- Winterville in Pitt County will receive $270,000 to elevate and rebuild the control system for a local sewer lift station, as well as $1,094,000 to replace an inadequate stormwater culvert that caused flooding during Hurricane Matthew.
The N.C. Commerce grants are part of $200 million allocated by the N.C. General Assembly for Hurricane Matthew and wildfire relief through the North Carolina Disaster Recovery Act of 2016. An earlier round of N.C. Commerce grants was announced on April 4. State budget proposals put forward by Governor Cooper, the Senate and the House for 2017 all include additional funds for hurricane recovery.
Among other organizations tapped to facilitate grant funding provided by the Disaster Recovery Act, the Golden LEAF Foundation received $25 million and the N.C. Housing Finance Agency received $20 million to make similar grants to help communities recovering from Hurricane Matthew. Last week, the Golden LEAF Foundation awarded a second round of grants totaling $11 million to help local communities rebuild damaged infrastructure, and Housing Finance awarded $750,000 for recovery efforts in Cumberland and Wayne counties.
Additional Hurricane Matthew recovery grants are expected to be awarded in the coming months.