WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia will soon receive another $106 million to help with flood recovery and mitigation efforts following the June 2016 flood.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the release Friday. The money join the $150 million that’s been part of the RISE West Virginia program. The new money will come in the form of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR).
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said the release means the recovery can continue to move forward.
“It’s important that we plan and use these critical dollars diligently, deliberately, and in a way that will most effectively protect us in the future,” Capito said.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin previously called the $106 million funding that can help the state make commonsense investments during the rebuilding process that will limit the potential for more catastrophic flooding in the future.
The state has been on HUD’s slow-spender list a couple of times with the $150 million used in RISE. There are currently about 400 cases in RISE overall. State Adjutant General Jim Hoyer was put in charge of RISE in June 2018. Since then, more than 50 homes and four bridges have been completed.
The $106 million was secured in the 2018 budget agreement but its release was put on hold until Friday’s announcement.