FEMA awards Port of Brookings more than $400K for dredging

SALEM, OR – Boaters at Port of Brookings in Curry County will be navigating deeper waters thanks to a $416,250 disaster recovery grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Damage to the harbor, the busiest recreational port in Oregon, resulted from severe weather of December 10, 2015. Soaking rains triggered heavy silt deposits shed by floodwaters from stream tributaries and a failed culvert. Thousands of cubic yards of materials settled on the harbor floor restricting boat access to the Ice House pier service area.

The federal grant will help pay for the dredging and hauling away of 9,325 cubic yards of sediment.

Federal disaster recovery funds for this event come through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Program. The program offers 75 percent—or $416,250 in this grant—of eligible costs for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. The remaining 25 percent will come from non-federal sources such as state or local governments. The PA program also encourages protection of damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for certain hazard mitigation measures.

“This arm of FEMA’s disaster assistance focuses on public infrastructure—infrastructure that residents, communities and local governments depend upon in Oregon,” said State Coordinating Officer Clint Fella of Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management.

President Barak Obama signed a major disaster declaration Feb. 17, 2016, making federal dollars available to 14 Oregon counties to help them recover from severe storms of Dec. 6-23 that caused landslides, mudslides, flooding and more than 100 road closures. Eligible entities include local and state governments and agencies, and certain private nonprofit organizations.

FEMA leadership takes keen interest in Oregon’s recovery; the state agreed to be the first implementation of a new Public Assistance Program delivery initiative intended to improve efficiency in delivering federal infrastructure dollars.

“Once FEMA funds are obligated for eligible projects, the state administers the program, but a robust partnership with Oregon has been in place since the disaster declaration,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph Diemont.

Counties included in the declaration are:  Clatsop, Clackamas, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill.

Port of Brookings was also significantly damaged in 2011 by the tsunami resulting from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan’s coast.