27-04-2025
President Trump's FEMA cuts have major local impacts in SC. Here's an example
Before recent cuts at the federal level, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was supposed to help pay the majority of an engineering project that would've protected South Carolinians from flooding.
The FEMA program that would've supported this flooding project in Conway, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), was first established by Congress during the first Trump Administration in 2018.
The loss of this federal funding means that the project has been halted after completing the first phase of construction.
The next time there's a big storm in northeastern South Carolina, these inland neighborhoods could experience major flooding damage again.
This loss of funding isn't just happening in Conway or in South Carolina. Recently, a memo about future federal funding the wake of natural disasters talked about making it more difficult for states to get federal aid starting this hurricane season.
In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that tells state and local governments to play a bigger role in preparing for disasters.
The executive order comes after Trump visited Los Angeles during the wildfires in January.
'I say you don't need FEMA, you need a good state government,' Trump said at the time. 'FEMA is a very expensive, in my opinion, mostly failed situation.'
At this point, there hasn't been another source of local funding that's been identified to finish the flood mitigation project in Conway, according to city spokesperson June Wood. The project was already years in the making, with city resources spent on the application process and initial design plans.
Wood said the last wire of FEMA funding for this project, known as the Chestnut Bay Resiliency Project, was in late March 2025.
The overall cost for Phase 1 of the project is shared by FEMA and the city, Wood said.
Grant Award Date: August 25, 2023
Total Federal Share (75%): $136,125 (FEMA pays)
Total Non-Federal Share (25%): $45,375 (City pays)
Management Costs (100%) $9,075 (FEMA pays)
Total Project Cost Phase 1: $190,575
Out of the above cost breakdown, Wood explained that they have been reimbursed $75,442.50. The city will still be short $69,757.50 for Phase 1.
These cuts have halted further progress for Conway's Chestnut Bay Resiliency Project, according to Wood.
In response to request for comment about the FEMA cuts in Conway, Wood sent the following statement to The Sun News on behalf of the city:
'The City of Conway has been notified that the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant awarded for the Chestnut Bay Resiliency Project has been officially cancelled. As a result, work on Phase 1 engineering and design has been halted,' the statement read. 'Since 2019, City staff, community partners, and residents have invested significant time and effort into the development of this project, which was envisioned to address ongoing flooding concerns while creating enhanced recreational opportunities for the community. The cancellation of this grant introduces many uncertainties for the future of the project, as there is currently no identified funding source to move forward. We thank the community for its continued support and engagement, and we will provide updates as we navigate the path forward.'
After multiple emails and phone calls, FEMA spokespeople sent the same quoted statement to The Sun News that they had included in their national press release about the BRIC program getting cut.
Despite questions that asked for a direct response about the FEMA cuts in Conway, SC, there was no mention to northeastern South Carolina, Conway or Horry County.
Instead, the agency sent the below statement about how much money will be saved as a result to these cuts.
'Approximately $882 million of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be returned to the U.S. Treasury or reapportioned by Congress in the next fiscal year,' an email from a FEMA spokesperson stated. 'The 2021 law made $1 billion available for BRIC over five years, $133 million to date has been provided for about 450 applications. FEMA estimates more than $3.6 billion will remain in the Disaster Relief Fund to assist with disaster response and recovery for communities and survivors.'
The city's statement indicates that there is no secured funding source to continue on to Phase 2. Wood said Phase 2 would have begun after Phase 1's completion.
Phase 2's estimated cost was $2,528,900, with FEMA funding 75% of that cost, plus $135,520 in management costs. For the Phase 1 engineering and the Phase 2 construction, the total project cost is $2,710,400, not including management costs, according to Wood.
In that case, FEMA would pay in total $2,032,800 and the City share is $677,600. These figures do not include management costs, which FEMA also would have paid at 100%, Wood said.
