ATLANTA, GA, Nov. 16, 2009 -- Improvements to a drainage basin facility in Georgetown, S.C. will be funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The project will serve in reducing frequent flooding and expand the system's capacity to disperse storm water from intense rainfall.
The grant, administered through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation program, will provide $2,250,000 to the city of Georgetown to provide regional storage facilities, upgrade existing system components and install a stormwater pump station. When complete, the drainage system will be more capable of dealing with flooding from thunderstorms and other high rainfall events.
Numerous studies have shown the need for additional facilities to expand the capacity and prevent area streets from becoming impassable or inaccessible. The project also considered other critical facilities and evacuation routes in the planning phase.
"Through projects like this one, we are improving the way critical facilities withstand the onslaught of intense rains. The facility will be equipped to better handle storm water run off, and that translates to better recovery for residences, as well as commercial and industrial facilities in harm's way," said Phil May, FEMA Region IV administrator.
The $2.2 million grant represents a 75 percent federal share of the total award amount of $3,000,000. The remainder will come from non-federal sources. This grant is part of the larger project cost of $13.4 million.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
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