R.I. to receive additional $7M for Sandy recovery

FIVE RHODE ISLAND projects have received $7.02 million under the federal Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant program. Above, a machine clears sand off Atlantic Ave. in Westerly after Hurricane Sandy. / PBN FILE PHOTO/BRIAN MCDONALD
FIVE RHODE ISLAND projects have received $7.02 million under the federal Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant program. Above, a machine clears sand off Atlantic Ave. in Westerly after Hurricane Sandy. / PBN FILE PHOTO/BRIAN MCDONALD

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island will receive an additional $7 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior to clean up damage to the state’s coastline following Hurricane Sandy and prepare the state for future storms, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced Monday.

Under the grant program, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, five Rhode Island projects will receive $7.02 million to help restore marshes, wetlands and beaches; rebuild shorelines; and research storm surge mitigation.

The state will also share $2.06 million in federal funds with 13 other East Coast and Appalachian states to improve preparedness and response to future storms and enhance resiliency to the impacts of climate change.

The U.S. Department of Interior received more than 375 proposals for a total of $568 million in Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grants, according to a release from Reed’s office. The agency has awarded grants to support 54 projects nationwide, including the five based in Rhode Island.

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Overall, the Superstorm Sandy Supplemental Appropriations bill passed last year included $60.4 billion in federal aid to help homeowners, businesses and communities affected by the hurricane.

“This is great news for Rhode Island. These grants will help protect residents from future storms and enable communities to plan and implement a number of natural infrastructure projects,” said Reed, who helped to secure the appropriations funding in his role as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior & Environment. “Sandy took a heavy economic and environmental toll on our coastline and these funds will help reduce vulnerabilities to future damage.”

To date, Reed said, the state’s congressional delegation has helped direct an estimated $130 million in support from federal disaster relief programs to help Rhode Island recover from Hurricane Sandy.

The Rhode Island programs receiving a share of the $7.02 million in new Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grants include the following:

  • R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council: $3,250,000 to restore 30 acres of degraded salt marsh habitat within the Ninigret Pond barrier and coastal lagoon complex. The state will provide $423,650 in matching funds.
  • Town of Middletown: $2,320,000 for the Sachuest Bay Coastal Resiliency Project to improve coastal resiliency of the Sachuest Bay/Maidford River area through biodiversity restoration and green infrastructure. The town will provide $1,066,913 in matching funds.
  • University of Rhode Island: $870,000 to inform the Beach SAMP effort to develop a statewide program for enhancing coastal resiliency through the construction of a coastal observing/monitoring network for the south shore area. The state will provide $358,622 in matching funds.
  • University of Rhode Island: $400,000 for the “Rhode Island Coastal Community Resiliency Planning with Green Infrastructure Guidance” project focusing on three Rhode Island coastal communities: Newport, Warwick and North Kingstown.
  • Narragansett Indian Tribe: $180,000 to conduct a Natural Resource Resiliency Assessment and Action Plan to assess forest health, natural resources and water resources for tribal lands. The tribe will provide $60,206 in matching funds.

Rhode Island will also receive a share of federal funding from the following multistate partnership projects:

  • Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association (Rhode Island and Connecticut): $720,000 to develop a comprehensive flood and storm damage resiliency management plan for the Pawcatuck River watershed, which will benefit communities in Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond, Stonington and Westerly.
  • Association of State Floodplain Managers (Rhode Island and Ohio): $350,000 to develop best practices to help communities in Rhode Island and Ohio reduce flood risk and flood insurance rates while protecting the environment.

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