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City seeks FEMA public assistance and hazard mitigation funding to rebuild and expand flood gauges
Summary
Recovery staff told the Public Safety Committee that eight flood gauges damaged by Tropical Storm Helen are slated for FEMA public assistance replacement (under $500,000) and that the city is pursuing a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program project of roughly $2 million to design up to 22 additional sites and add hardened components and public education.
Recovery Coordinator Bridget Herring briefed the Asheville City Public Safety Committee on plans to repair and expand the city's early warning system after Tropical Storm Helen.
Herring said eight existing rain and stream gauges around the county were damaged and the city is pursuing FEMA public assistance to replace that damaged equipment; the current requested public assistance is "a little less than $500,000." She said the city is also applying as a sub-applicant under the state to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for roughly $2 million to design and site as many as 22 additional gauge locations, add mitigation-hardened components, and provide community education on the system.
"We're looking at not just replacing what was damaged but improving what we had," Herring said, noting that mitigation dollars allow stronger system components and the hazard mitigation grant could fund technologies beyond the public assistance scope. Herring said the FEMA public assistance process (non-competitive) will likely fund the immediate replacement work first, with the hazard mitigation grant (competitive) following state and FEMA approval.
Herring said the city plans to coordinate with Buncombe County to avoid duplication and ensure regional coverage. She estimated replacement of the eight damaged gauges could be completed by next summer if public assistance proceeds on schedule, but the hazard mitigation grant timeline remains uncertain pending state and FEMA review.
Herring described the intended outcomes: earlier and clearer public alerts (sirens and real-time messages) to speed evacuations, maintain access to shelters and essential services, and improve situational awareness for health, energy and transportation lifelines during fast-moving events. Council members praised staff work and asked for continued updates; the committee did not take a formal vote on grant applications during the meeting.
