COLUMBUS, OH - Fifteen eastern and southern Ohio communities will share a total of $75,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for participation in the Appalachian Flood Risk Reduction Initiative (AFRRI). The two-year pilot project enables eligible communities to develop plans that focus on reducing flood damage.
Flooding is an ever-present danger in the Appalachian region, but wise planning can greatly reduce the threat to lives and property, said ODNR Director Sam Speck. These grants give local planners the tools they need to protect their communities from flood damage.
Grants of $5,000 each went to the following: Noble County; City of Athens (Athens County); Lawrence County; Village of Caldwell (Noble County); Village of Vinton (Gallia County); Athens County; Jackson County; Scioto County; Village of Corning (Perry County); Village of Trimble (Athens County); Village of Crooksville (Perry County); Village of Dresden (Muskingum County); Muskingum County; Village of Manchester (Adams County); Ross County.
Local communities can use the funding for planning, writing or publishing a local flood mitigation plan, which will help identify a broad range of activities for reducing the impact of flooding. ODNR will provide communities with technical expertise in developing the plans and in generating flood studies and flood maps for selected streams.
Grant communities will be among the first in Ohio to receive the federal government's recently published guidelines for writing flood mitigation plans. AFRRI was made possible through a partnership between ODNR, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, the Governors Office of Appalachia, and the United States Economic Development Administration.
For Further Information Contact:
Chad Berginnis, ODNR Division of Water
(614) 265-6715
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860