CHICAGO - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has been awarded the nation’s first Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program grant award. FEMA will provide $171,700 in BRIC program funding to update hazard mitigation plans for the Minnesota counties of Jackson, Kittson, Marshall, Pope and Red Lake.
“FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities or BRIC program seeks to shift the focus from reactive disaster spending toward proactive investment in community resilience," said Moises Dugan, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “As the first project to ever be funded under this program, we’re proud to support the state of Minnesota and their efforts to take action against future disaster risks, making their communities safer and stronger as a result."
Through BRIC, FEMA will pay $171,700 which is 75% of the $222,200 eligible project cost and includes an additional $20,200 in management costs to help the recipient manage this grant. The remaining 25% of the project cost will be provided by the state or local community.
BRIC is FEMA’s new pre-disaster mitigation grant program providing funds to states, local communities, tribes and territories for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to build a culture of preparedness. This program funds activities and projects that invest in a more resilient nation, reduce disaster suffering and avoid future disaster costs.
In the BRIC program’s second year, a total of $1 billion in mitigation funding is being made available. The funding will help to meet the ongoing demand for hazard mitigation across the nation and will enhance FEMA’s efforts to deliver benefits to historically underserved communities. To learn more about FEMA’s BRIC grant program, visit www.fema.gov/bric.
Source: Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency
