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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, September 22, 2008
Contact:
Connie
Rivera, Community Housing Program Manager, 360-709-3065
Thurston
County
Receives Flood Mitigation Funds for Area Homes
OLYMPIA
– A grant from the State
Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) will allow
Thurston
County
to assist dozens of home owners hit hard by recent flooding in the
Chehalis
River Basin
. The $811,000 grant is based on a
flood grant application to elevate approximately 37 homes for low and moderate
income families to help mitigate the potential for damage from future
flooding.
The
grant includes $33,000 to help the county with costs for administration,
environmental studies, and project management to assist with the work. The
rest of the funding will go directly to help low and moderate income families
who suffered in the historical flooding last December in the
Chehalis
River
area of
Thurston
County
.
Thurston
County Commission Chairman Diane Oberquell says she is very pleased with the
grant award. “This is very good
news for some of the families who were hit so hard by the devastating floods
late last year. No one can predict
when flooding might happen again and this project may help provide some
protection in the future. I’m
very happy with the work of county staff and Community Trade and Economic
Development in securing the funds for this important work.”
Oberquell says it took a lot of hard work and cooperation from the
Rochester
area community to get through the flooding and she expects that effort to
continue in the mitigation process.
County staff will now work with CTED officials to meet
all of the requirements of the grant. An
environmental assessment is getting underway and outreach to potential
beneficiaries of the housing elevation program will begin once the assessment
is completed.
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