| Video Highlights Ohio Community, Recipient of $38 Million Resilient Grant for Dam Rehabilitation
WASHINGTON — Local dam safety officials are addressing ways to prevent dam failure in communities across the nation. Dam upgrades help meet modern construction techniques and seismic activity considerations and help protect communities downstream. This past National Dam Safety Awareness Day, FEMA posted a video highlighting how one Ohio community was recently selected for a $38 million mitigation project to strengthen the Mineral Ridge Dam. The improvements and modifications to this dam will provide several benefits to more than 200,000 residents in local jurisdictions between Mineral Ridge and Weathersfield Township, Ohio. In addition, this upgrade ensures the dam can withstand the maximum flood levels from a 500-year storm. To learn more about this infrastructure upgrade project from state emergency management and local dam officials visit: FEMA’s YouTube channel. May 31 is a day of remembrance and in memoriam to the 2,220 people who lost their lives in the 1889 South Fork Dam failure near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Every year, National Dam Safety Awareness Day seeks to encourage and promote individual community responsibility and best practices for dam safety. FEMA encourages government entities to continue to educate and take actions around the importance of dam safety. This year’s awareness day theme is Building Resilience: Safeguarding Our Nation’s Dams and Empowering Communities. This complements FEMA’s Year of Resilience to enhance response capabilities at all levels of government and build local capacity to withstand tomorrow’s hazards. These dam safety actions include investing in infrastructure, having routine inspections and proper maintenance, completing necessary upgrades and implement an Emergency Action Plan to protect the public health, safety and welfare of individuals and communities. Funding for this project comes from the fiscal year 2022 funding cycle for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program where a historic $2.3 billion was available. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — which provides a total $1 billion to BRIC for grants in fiscal years 2022-2026, provides additional infrastructure funds to support efforts like the Mineral Ridge Dam. This type of resilience project reduces disaster impacts and minimizes future disaster costs. In support of National Dam Safety Awareness Day, you can make a difference in your community and join FEMA in support of these efforts throughout the year. |
