BURGAW — Pender County’s Planning and Community Development department will host an Acquisition “Buy-out” Workshop for victims of Hurricane Florence on Tuesday, Jan. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the county commissioner chambers located at 805 S. Walker Street in Burgaw.
“With the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) being available to us in a federally declared disaster county, we just want our citizens to be aware of what options are out there to reduce risks in future disasters,” Pender County Planning Director Kyle Breuer said.
HMGP is a FEMA program designed to enact mitigation measures that reduce the risk of loss of life and property from future disasters. According to FEMA’s website, it is the longest running mitigation grant program, and studies have shown that “every $1 spent equals $4 of future damages mitigated.”
Breuer said that workshop participants will learn how to apply for a buy-out through the HMGP, with industry experts and state employees present to answer questions. One group of experts that will be present includes Holland Consulting Planners, who the county contracted for disaster relief consulting after Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
In mid-December, the county hosted a workshop to discuss how elevation decreases the risk of flooding and high flood insurance premiums.
The upcoming workshop will review the buy-out process as well as what FEMA calls the “duplication of benefits” – something FEMA avoids when considering assistance from other sources, such as insurance or other types of federal assistance. Breuer said that experts will discuss how the monetary value of other forms of assistance received will be subtracted from the buy-out value.
Breuer said that his office is in charge of applying for and administering hazard mitigation grant programs, and is constantly accepting applications for participation in the HMPG.
For more information call the Pender County Planning Department at 910-259-1202.
