Bloomfield Hills makes cutoff on road to FEMA funding

Christian Peck-Dimit
The Detroit News

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that Bloomfield Hills made the benchmark for further review on its proposed flood relief project.

The proposed $200,000 project would "research and update current and future anticipated water flows, including watershed boundaries and overflow routes, review the impacts of new floodplain elevations on infrastructure and emergency access, and evaluate potential risk-reduction strategies with local stakeholders to strengthen the overall resilience of Bloomfield Hills,"  the agency said in a statement.

FEMA, through the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, would pay for 75% of the proposed $200,000 project, with the remaining falling on either Bloomfield Hills or the state of Michigan, according to the release. 

The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program help states and communities reduce the risks associated with flooding through projects including property acquisition, structure elevation and flood planning. 

The Friday announcement isn't  distribution of money but a decision on the status of sub-applications for the current grant cycle, officials said Friday.

FEMA is slated to work with applicants identified for further review  before making a final award decision.

The money Bloomfield Hills would potentially receive comes from $160 million in funding given out by the FMA, according to the government.

“FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance program or FMA seeks to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage across the nation,” Tom Sivak, regional administrator of FEMA Region 5 said. “The data collected by Bloomfield Hills officials will help ensure future mitigation projects are effective in protecting the city from the dangers of our changing climate and other disasters risks they face in the future.”

Bloomfield Hills officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.