USDA to provide $99 million for CT-NJ-NY flood protection

As part of the ongoing effort to respond the impacts of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy and prevent serious damage from future storms of that magnitude, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will provide up to $99 million in funding to assist victims in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey in their conservation and floodplain protection initiatives. The funding, issued through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program, will be used to enroll 671 acres of hurricane-damaged property into permanent floodplain easements, thereby facilitating the removal of dikes and other structures that impede the natural movement of water across floodplains when streams and rivers experience storm-related overflow. “More homeowners and communities that are still struggling from Hurricane Sandy will now find relief,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in announcing the funding. “Restoring and protecting floodplain areas will also reduce the potential for future flooding impacts and improve wildlife habitat and long-term environmental stability.”