RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The City of Richmond was awarded funding from the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund to help with projects in three areas prone to flooding.
The city was awarded $1.1 million to help with drainage improvements on McGuire and Chapel Drive in Richmond’s Southside.
A smaller grant of $103,500 will help out both sides of the river. That money will go towards flood preparation efforts in Manchester and Shockoe Bottom.
The flood preparedness fund uses money from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, made by the sale of carbon emission allowances to help lessen the impacts of flooding, sea-level rise and extreme weather. This year is the first time grants have been distributed.
There was $7.8 million total in grants this year but most years there will be around $75 million available for localities to apply for. The money can go towards planning and capacity-building projects, flood prevention and protection studies, and flood resilience improvements.
“Virginians have experienced the devastating effects of flooding over and over again,” said Gov. Ralph Northam. “Without strong investments in resiliency, we will continue to see more of the same. The Community Flood Preparedness Fund grants are so important because they will jump start projects in more than a dozen localities, including some that have been impacted by recent disasters.”
The second round of grant money closes on November 5. To see if your locality is eligible, click here.
