Long Beach Gets $20 Million From FEMA For Flood Resiliency

It was announced last week that the City of Long Beach would be getting more than $20 million from FEMA for its flood protection project, which will help strengthen the city's infrastructure and provide increased flood protection.

"The devastation from Hurricane Sandy is still felt today in Long Beach, and it is crucial that we provide this community with the assistance it needs to strengthen its infrastructure against future storms," Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "This funding will not only help Long Beach continue its recovery, but also ensure its resiliency as we face extreme weather events that have become all too common."

This project will protect critical utility lines along the northern shore of Long Beach by constructing new steel bulkheading and backfill with clean, upland fill; constructing an armored slope around the existing natural gas pipeline; installing tangent pile bulkhead adjacent to the Long Beach Boulevard bridge abutments; and constructing a 33 million gallon-per-day pump station and stormwater infrastructure upgrades to mitigate acres of coastal zone tidal wetlands.

"These critical measures to address serious flooding issues in Long Beach will make a real difference," said Senator Todd Kaminsky. "Long Beach's future is dependent upon its ability to control flooding and keep water out of its community. I applaud Governor Cuomo for his advocacy for this project and know that it is just one step in the many that need to be taken to protect the north side of the Long Beach Barrier Island."

FEMA has reserved $20,060,327 for the construction portion of the project. Approximately $1.6 million was previously awarded for engineering and design work and $18,482,327 has been reserved for final engineering and construction. The project is expected to be completed by October of 2021.

The projects were approved under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which allows the state to establish priorities aimed at increasing its resiliency, mitigating the risks of loss and damage associated with future disasters, and reducing hardship.

"As we continue to see extreme weather events like never before, it is critical that we strengthen our infrastructure so that it can withstand whatever Mother Nature brings our way," said Congresswoman Kathleen Rice. "This funding will allow our community to ease the impact of heavy rains and flooding, and improve roads and bridges to better weather year-round storms."

Photo: Patch