Dare County receives federal grant to elevate flood-prone homes

DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) — Floods are unexpected and can cause massive destruction.

Just one inch of flood water can cause up to $25,000 in damage, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

“Under our house, the piling shifts every time we get a flood event,” said Frisco resident Susan Myers.

One way to mitigate and protect a flood-prone home is to elevate it above the known flood level.

Dare County officials talked about the process in a YouTube video.

“For the families that are in those homes, it makes it safer,,” said Dare County emergency management director Drew Pearson. “It gets them up out of the flood area and makes it a safer place to be.”

After a storm, the president can declare a “major disaster” that allows FEMA to activate federal funding programs.

When Hurricane Dorian swept through the area, it was deemed a “major disaster.” It then allowed communities to apply for grants.

Dare County went down that route and was awarded more than $5 million from FEMA to improve disaster resilience.

This time, 31 homeowners were selected to have their homes raised as part of flood mitigation.

Dare County expects the project to start sometime in the second half of the year.

It is a process that is neither quick nor easy, but the benefit is, you get your home raised at almost no cost to you,” Pearson said.

Dare County encourages any homeowners in a flood-prone area to watch for grant opportunities that may become available.

Dare County said to contact the County Grants and Waterways Administrator Barton Grover at Barton.Grover@DareNC.gov.

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