W. Va. Gov. Reports Flood Funding

West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise recently announced that the Disaster Recovery Board approved more than $3.8 million to assist West Virginians who have experienced repetitive flooding.

“The money distributed through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program allows us to purchase properties located within the floodplain, helping to relocate people living in harm’s way and saving taxpayer dollars by avoiding further expenses when future disasters occur,” Wise said. “The Disaster Recovery Board and the Office of Emergency Services work hand-in-hand to ensure that the funding is provided to the applicants as quickly as possible.”

Applications are evaluated by the Office of Emergency Services and then selected by the Disaster Recovery Board for funding provided by FEMA. This funding will address flood-related problems for more than 70 structures located in Greenbrier and Wyoming counties.

Chris Morris, Wise designee and board chairman, indicated that evaluating these applications and making the recommendations for funding was not easy. “When there are 40 applications requesting more than $27 million and the available funding is just more than $3.8 million, it forces you to make tough decisions.”