News Releases for February 2003
February 28, 2003
Contact: Jim Chestnutt, Federal Emergency Management Agency
(303) 235-4948
Flood Mitigation Planning Grant Awarded To The Three Affiliated Tribes Of The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced that a Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program Planning Grant has been awarded to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
The $10,000 Planning Grant was awarded to assist with the development of flood mitigation plans. This Grant award will be used to help the Fort Berthold Reservation in writing a detailed plan. The plan, if approved, will assist in the Reservation’s efforts to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
“The Fort Berthold Reservation has been consistently hit with flood damage over the last three years,” said FEMA Region VIII Director David Maurstad. “With the approval of the Planning Grant, the first step in containing flood damage has been taken. FEMA Region VIII is committed to helping this community develop and implement successful flood mitigation projects.”
With ground water levels consistently high in North Dakota, springtime flooding is common following snowmelt. The Fort Berthold Reservation has had three disaster declarations since 1999, the last one in 2002.
“Considering the flooding damage the Ford Berthold Reservation has sustained over the past several years, these grant dollars are very welcome,” Hoeven said. “FEMA’s continuing assistance to our communities in North Dakota is greatly appreciated.”
The Fort Berthold Reservation is in west central North Dakota and is home to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. Total tribe enrollment is 10,500 and trust acreage of the Reservation is 424,213. About 11 percent of the Reservation’s total surface area is Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir formed by the damming of the Missouri River in 1954.
FMA provides funding to assist states and communities in implementing measures to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insurable under NFIP.
There are three types of grants available under FMA: Planning, Project, and Technical Assistance Grants. FMA Planning Grants are available to states and communities to prepare Flood Mitigation Plans. FMA Project Grants are available to States and NFIP participating communities to implement measures to reduce flood losses. Ten percent of the Project Grant is made available to States and Tribes as a Technical Assistance Grant, which can be used to help administer the program.
Funding for the program is provided through NFIP at $20 million nationally.
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