17-04-2025
Trump administration cuts millions in disaster relief funds for Massachusetts
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Trump Administration is freezing more than $90 million worth of disaster relief funding in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts sees first drop in emergency shelter cases since 2023
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, also known as BRIC, has been canceled, which provides disaster prevention aid to municipalities across Massachusetts. The cancelation revokes $90 million for 18 communities, a regional planning commission, as well as two state agencies. BRIC is an annual FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant that's funded by FEMA and administered through a partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
The following municipalities and agencies are expected to be impacted by the cancellation:
Boston: $22,894,600 for Resilient Moakley Park
Acton: $67,500 for Jenks Conservation Land Culvert Improvements
Chelsea and Everett: $49,999,999 for Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project
Hull: $49,500 to enhance Hull's Existing Adopted Codes
Hinsdale: $81,720 for Powering the Hinsdale Public Safety Complex
Wilbraham: $150,000 for Glenn Drive Pump Station Generator
Lynnfield: $80,302.50 for Implementation of Permitting System
Longmeadow: $74,156 for Building Code Activities
Grafton: $37,500 for Merriam Road Culvert Improvement Project Scoping
Rockport: $320,000 for Thatcher Road Corridor Resilient Design
Newburyport: $50,250 for Drinking Water and Watershed Regulations Assessment & Update
Northbridge: $37,500 for Permitting Process Upgrade
Whately: $63,750 for Christian Lane Stormwater Flooding
Brockton: $124,050 for Keith Field Culvert Project Scoping
North Adams: $144,000 for Galvin Road Culvert Improvements Project Scoping
Taunton: $195,000 for Cobb Brook Culvert Study Project Scoping
Gosnold: $75,000 for Protection of Cuttyhunk Island's Water Supply Project Scoping
Rockport: $8,437.50 for Building Code Capabilities Enhancement
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission: $321,021 for Regional Building Code Inspection and Training
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR): $11,969,908 for Tenean Beach/Conley Street Resilient Waterfront Project in Boston and $505,516 for Building Code Higher Flood Standards
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA): $675,000 for Massachusetts Building Code Access, $300,000 for Statewide Voluntary Buyout Program Feasibility Study & Pilot Program, and $1,873,013 for State Management Costs
'In recent years, Massachusetts communities have been devastated by severe storms, flooding and wildfires. We rely on FEMA funding to not only rebuild but also take steps to protect against future extreme weather,' said Governor Healey. 'But the Trump Administration has suddenly ripped the rug out from under cities and towns that had been promised funding to help them upgrade their roads, bridges, buildings and green spaces to mitigate risk and prevent disasters in the future. This makes our communities less safe and will increase costs for residents, municipalities and businesses.'
'As a former Mayor, I know firsthand how cities and towns rely on FEMA funding to recover from disasters and prepare for the next storm. We urgently need to be making our communities more resilient, but the Trump Administration is undermining this important work,' said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. 'Our administration is here to support our local leaders as much as we can, and we have impactful resilience programming underway, but we need the federal government to uphold their end of the bargain.'
'Climate change cannot be ignored. For every dollar we invest in resilience today, we save $13 in avoided damages and economic impacts,' said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. 'At DCR, we were preparing to upgrade Tenean Beach, elevate Conley Street, and restore the nearby wetlands to provide important flood protection to nearby environmental justice communities and public transit. Each BRIC award represents a neighborhood that needs support. These are real costs our communities will bear with the loss of BRIC funding.'
'The Trump Administration's unlawful cancellation of nearly $35 million in federal grants for flood protection projects at Moakley Park and Tenean Beach will put jobs, people, and property at risk. These crucial projects follow years of community planning for critical access to open space while securing vulnerable flood paths so that thousands of families in the surrounding neighborhoods would be protected from storm surge and coastal flooding. We will fight to restore this funding to protect our communities.,' said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
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