WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, PA-11, announced that almost three dozen flood-damaged homes in Columbia County will be bought out at a total project cost of almost $3.8 million.
These 34 "substantially damaged" structures will be acquired and demolished to reduce future flood damage, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The total project cost is $3,784,094. The federal share of the buyout is $2,838,070.50.
Twenty-three properties are in Fernville, Hemlock Township; the total project cost of the Fernville buyouts is $2,105,003 (with a federal share of $1,578,752.25).
Eleven properties are in Bloomsburg; the total project cost of these buyouts is $1,679,091 (with a federal share of $1,259,318.25).
FEMA obligates the funding directly to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which then funds the eligible recipients. The buyouts are funded through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
For more information about FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, visit http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/hmgp/index.shtm