The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending $1.56 million to the State of Vermont for the Town of Plainfield to replace an undersized bridge to help avoid future flood damage.

The $1,560,281 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant will fund the replacement of Brook Road Bridge in the village of Plainfield, which has been damaged three times in past 40 years by floodwaters. 

The project includes removing the existing concrete bridge, replacing it with a bridge that has adequate hydraulic capacity, and raising the roadway profile six inches to reduce flood risk to the roadway, several residences, and the Brook Road Bridge. 

The funding for this project comes from funding the state received from FEMA as part of the COVID-19 pandemic disaster through the HMGP program, and represents 90 percent of the total $1,733,646 price tag.

Under the program, every state, tribe, and territory that received a major disaster declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was eligible to receive 4% of those disaster costs to invest in mitigation projects that reduce risks from natural disasters, especially those related to climate change.

HMGP grants are managed by the state and funding for HMGP projects are authorized under Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Act, the 1988 law that governs FEMA’s disaster-related activities. Since the funding is limited, states are responsible for prioritizing projects for funding.

“Hazard mitigation funding is FEMA’s way of providing an incentive to state and local governments to rebuild smarter, stronger, and with an eye toward the next disaster that may strike,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “President Biden’s decision to make more than $3.46 billion in climate-related HMGP funding available after the COVID pandemic will pay off in the long run by reducing future disaster losses.” 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is an important source of federal disaster assistance. HMGP funds may become available following the president’s declaration of a major disaster, and help strengthen communities by improving buildings, facilities, residential structures and infrastructure that people use every day.