(The Center Square) − FEMA has made $1 billion available nationwide through a revived disaster-mitigation grant program that Louisiana has relied on for flood control, electrical hardening and evacuation infrastructure, says U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy.
The funding is available through FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, known as BRIC, which reopened after Cassidy and other officials pushed back against efforts to end it. Applications are due July 23.
“Investing before a disaster strikes saves lives and taxpayer dollars,” Cassidy, R-La., said in a statement announcing the funding.
The $1 billion is not for Louisiana alone. It is a nationwide pool for states, local governments, tribes and territories. FEMA said the latest round includes money for national competition, state and territorial allocations, tribal set-asides and building-code activities.
Louisiana has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of BRIC. In 2023, the state received more than $200 million, according to a release. He later said Louisiana was the largest recipient on a per-capita basis in the program’s most recent round and pointed to at least $105.8 million in named projects.
When the program was threatened for elimination by FEMA, Cassidy publicly pressed for the program’s continuation, saying mitigation projects save money by reducing future disaster-recovery costs.
“The best way to recover from a storm, is never to flood at all and this resilience building is what the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was created for,” Cassidy said.
In his floor speech, he said cutting BRIC would undercut a program created by Congress during President Donald Trump’s first term and funded to help communities reduce flood risk before storms hit.
