Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday the awarding of more than $6.6 million in grants from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), made available statewide in response to the June 2016 flooding.
“We are leaving no stone unturned to find ways to help our people,” Justice said. “Our fellow West Virginians who endured all that devastation and all that sorrow deserve nothing less.”
The money will help nearly two-dozen communities in nine counties provide backup power generators for water and wastewater treatment plants and systems. It will also fund generator purchases for other locations as well as help communities acquire or elevate property.
Nearly half the total, $3 million, will be of benefit statewide. That grant will fund a risk assessment process that can pinpoint locations throughout West Virginia in floodplains or otherwise exposed to potential flooding, landslides, and other hazards.