| Washington, DC – Congressman Bill Shuster is pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security has approved a $2.3 million FEMA grant to rehabilitate the land surrounding the Northwood Mobile Hope Park in Greene Township. The land will be restored to permanent open space.
The Northwood Mobile Home Park was seriously damaged during severe storms in 2006. The floods and mudslides that resulted from the storms were significant enough to warrant a federal disaster declaration.
“Natural disasters take a great toll on people and the land they own,” Shuster said. “Clean-up after a storm can be expensive and time consuming and I am pleased to see that FEMA has stepped up to help the people of Greene Township in the long road to recovery.”
Clean-up will require the demolition of fifty-eight mobile homes, as well as environmental clean-up. FEMA will pay 75 percent of the project’s cost through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The Commonwealth will pay the remaining 25 percent.
The grant program allows FEMA to acquire “at-risk properties” so the former owners can afford to move to safer locations. The community buys the property, receives the title and clears it. By law, that property becomes public property and must remain open space.
“I am pleased that this funding will allow the affected residents to relocate to safer ground,” said Jonathan Sarubbi, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III. “Today’s funding also reflects FEMA’s commitment to supporting efforts that make communities free from the risks of natural hazards.”
|
