Notice of Public Hearings and Comment Period for the Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation Draft Action Plan

CHARLESTON, WV – The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has set aside more than $106 million in mitigation grant funding, which the State of West Virginia will soon be able to use on projects to decrease the impact of any future natural disasters. This federal funding comes in the form of a new HUD grant, called Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT).

The CDBG-MIT funds provide the State an opportunity to fortify resiliency measures to decrease the impact of future flooding events and other natural hazards in 12 counties designated by HUD: Clay, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas, Fayette, Jackson, Lincoln, Monroe, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers, and Webster counties.

The State is conducting public hearings to provide an opportunity for public engagement and input on the draft Action Plan. The Virtual Public Hearings will be held:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1-3 p.m.
  • Thursday, Sept. 3, 6-8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Sept. 8, 6-8 p.m., and
  • Thursday, Sept. 10, 1-3 p.m.
Registration is available at https://wvfloodrecovery.com/mitigation

The draft CDBG-MIT Action Plan will be submitted to HUD on or before Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. This draft will be posted to https://wvfloodrecovery.com/mitigation/ on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. The 45-day public comment period opens Monday, Aug. 24, 2020 and closes on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020.

West Virginia has been allocated a total of $106,494,000 in CDBG-MIT funding, with a requirement that at least 50 percent – $53,247,000 – must benefit the four counties federally categorized as the “Most Impacted and Distressed”: Clay, Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Nicholas counties. At the same time, at least 50 percent of the CDBG-MIT funds are also required to benefit people with “Low to Moderate Income” levels, as defined by federal guidelines.

For more information about the CDBG-MIT program and Federal Register Notice in its entirety, please visit https://wvfloodrecovery.com/mitigation/.