The State of North Carolina and FEMA have approved more than $1.3 million in a hazard mitigation project grant to improve disaster resilience in Duplin County.
Power outages caused by weather events have been an ongoing challenge for the county. This mitigation grant will be used to purchase emergency generators to sustain government and emergency response operations at critical facilities when the power has been knocked out.
These emergency generators will allow the county to store medication and provide residents shelter, drinking water, and fuel in the event of weather outage. The generators will be located at four elementary schools, including Beulaville, Kenansville, Rose Hill-Magnolia and North Duplin, a county fuel depot, the Rose Hill EMS Station and three well sites.
“Duplin County has suffered many devastating impacts from storms in recent years. We are grateful for the opportunity to enhance our disaster preparedness and provide safer shelters and infrastructure for our residents,” said Elizabeth Stalls, Planning Director and Public Information Officer with Duplin County.
Funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program became available as the result of damage from Hurricane Florence in 2018. FEMA reimburses 75 percent of eligible project costs and the remaining 25 percent is covered by the state.
Of the $1,316,328 total cost for the nine generators, FEMA’s share is $987,246 and the state’s share is $329,082. The federal share is paid directly to the state to disburse to local governments.
For more information on North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence, visit ncdps.gov/Florence and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393. Follow us on Twitter: @NCEmergency and @FEMARegion4.