U.S. Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) this week commended action by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund storm damage reduction projects in their home state, where many local communities continue recovery efforts from recent hurricanes.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Jan. 13 the work that it will accomplish with construction account funding provided in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations Disaster Relief Act of 2019, which was signed into law on June 6, 2019.
Among other things, the law provided $3.25 billion in five appropriations accounts, including for construction, of which the Corps will use an estimated $281 million to construct two flood and storm damage reduction projects in North Carolina’s Surf City/North Topsail Beach and Carteret County.
“I applaud the Corps of Engineers for investing more than $321 million in North Carolina so we can reduce the impact of future storms,” Sen. Burr said on Monday.
Sen. Tillis called the funding award to help North Topsail Beach and Carteret County with flood and storm damage projects “a top priority,” adding that he and Sen. Burr “worked tirelessly” to help secure the funds that will “help these communities recover and be better prepared for future storms.”
For instance, the senators led efforts to secure the additional funding in a June 2019 letter sent to the Corps that called the Surf City/North Topsail Beach project “a critical, shovel-ready coastal storm reduction project” that it should consider as a funding priority.
“Each storm that hits North Carolina takes a toll on our beaches and river basins,” said Sen. Burr. “After the historic damage inflicted by recent hurricanes, it was clear that more preventive measures needed to be taken to better protect our coastal communities. This additional $281.5 million allocation will do just that.”
“I want to thank the Trump administration for hearing our concerns and making these projects a priority,” added Sen. Tillis. “I will continue to work until North Carolina’s communities that have been damaged get the relief they need.”