Congressman Chuck Edwards announced on Apr. 6 the release of $26 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds to aid ongoing hurricane recovery efforts in Western North Carolina.
The funding is intended to help communities reduce future disaster risks by converting vulnerable properties into green spaces and improving resilience across the region. The allocations include $1,051,554 for Polk County to acquire and demolish four properties, $19,861,597 for Yancey County to acquire and demolish 53 properties, and $5,197,609 for Henderson County to acquire and demolish 18 properties. These projects aim to prevent future flood and landslide damage by returning land to green space.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding supports long-term projects designed to strengthen infrastructure, protect critical facilities, and lower the risk of repeated losses during storms. Edwards said these investments will save taxpayer dollars while supporting families still rebuilding from previous disasters.
“These funds provide critical support for families still rebuilding,” said Congressman Chuck Edwards. “They allow communities to convert vulnerable properties to green space, reduce future disaster risk, and make Western North Carolina stronger and more resilient.”
Edwards is currently serving in the U.S. Congress representing North Carolina’s 11th district after replacing Madison Cawthorn in 2023 according to Wikipedia. He has served as a representative since 2023 following his tenure in the North Carolina Senate from 2016 through early 2023 as reported by Ballotpedia.
In recent elections Edwards defeated Jasmine Beach-Ferrara in the general election held in 2022 with a vote count of 174 (53.8%) against Beach-Ferrara’s 144 (44.5%), according to The New York Times. In the subsequent election cycle he defeated Caleb Rudow with a margin of victory of nearly thirteen percentage points as reported by The New York Times.
Looking ahead, officials say that continued investment through federal programs like FEMA’s grant initiative could further improve regional resilience against natural disasters.
