Decatur, Fort Wayne Awarded FEMA Flood Grants
(file photo courtesy Maumee River Basin Commission)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Department of Homeland Security has awarded nearly $700,000 in federal grants to the cities of Fort Wayne and Decatur. The funding, which comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be used to buy 10 flood-prone properties.
The IDHS says the properties, six in Decatur and four in Fort Wayne, will be acquired, demolished and "returned to their natural state in perpetuity." Each city is receiving 75 percent of the cost of the projects.
"These properties have experienced repetitive flooding and damage, resulting in recurring economic injury to the individual and family owners," said Bryan Langley, executive director of the IDHS. "Purchasing these properties will take them out of harm’s way, and remove some of the financial and emotional stress from this community and these property owners."
The remaining cost of each project not covered by FEMA will funded by their respective cities and the Maumee River Basin Commission.
"With the strong support of our partners at the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, we will continue implementing flood buyout projects in Auburn, Decatur, and Fort Wayne," said Rod Renkenberger, executive director of the Maumee River Basin Commission. "These projects represent one more step toward reaching the national, state and MRBC objective of making communities flood resilient."