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Despite pandemic, RISE comes closer to fulfilling housing goal for 2016 flood victims

Even during the pandemic of the past year, West Virginia made significant progress on a longstanding effort to provide housing for people washed out by a major flood five years ago.

Jennifer Ferrell

“We are happy to say we have doubled our housing accomplishments and not had much of a stall,” said Jennifer Ferrell, director of Community Advancement for the state Development Office.

RISE West Virginia, which spearheads the flood relief effort with federal community development block grants for disaster relief, has completed 296 housing projects.

To compare, in March 2020 the program had completed 140 houses.

The 102 housing projects that remain are all under contract, Ferrell said. And, of those, 79 have received notice to proceed and are now in construction phase.

She said the effort has averaged completion of about 12 homes a month. And 88 percent have low- to moderate-income families.

The progress report pleased members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding, who have been monitoring flood relief in their communities for years. Ferrell was among those addressing the committee today during legislative interim meetings.

Stephen Baldwin

“You all have made tremendous progress in RISE throughout the pandemic. I just wanted to say thank you for that,” said Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier.

The June 23, 2016, flood devastated much of the state.

Twenty-three people were killed. There were 1,200 homes destroyed, and thousands were without power, according to state assessments. The flood damaged businesses, roads and water and sewer systems.

West Virginia was awarded $149 million in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

West Virginia made its request to start using the money on Jan. 29, 2018. HUD gave its OK on Feb. 20, 2018.

And for many months, RISE West Virginia drew criticism for its slow pace of administering flood relief as HUD officially designated the state as a “slow spender” for its pace.

Today, Ferrell told the committee the end of the long relief effort is closer in sight.

Of the $149 million originally granted by HUD, West Virginia had spent about $84 million through May 1. So that leaves the state with about $65 million remaining.

Chandler Swope

“The number one issue everyone’s interested in is when will this be done?” asked Senator Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, co-chairman of the flood committee. “Can we conclude that by the end of this calendar year we’ll be finishing up all the building projects?”

Ferrell responded, “That is our goal.”





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