City of Jacksonville, NC
Hurricane Florence HMGP
Project Title
City of Jacksonville, NC Hurricane Florence Hazard Mitigation Grant Program - Expedited Acquisitions
Funding Year
2018
Funding/Construction Amount
$1,695,315
Funding Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Project Description
The City of Jacksonville was significantly impacted by flooding and high winds from Hurricane Florence in 2018. As a result of the significant flooding, several residential structures sustained substantial damages. The New River Townhomes built in the early 1990s were declared “substantially damaged” in accordance with Jacksonville’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance.
While the townhomes are not currently in the Special Flood Hazard Area in the effective floodplain maps, the preliminary update of the floodplain maps will include the area where the homes are located in the Special Flood Hazard Area. The dwellings are two and three stories slab-on-grade residences overlooking the New River. The City of Jacksonville accepted applications from homeowners from Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Hurricane Florence funds for voluntary acquisition. 16 of the 20 homeowners applied for the program and were approved by NC Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2019. Insight Planning & Development was procured to manage the program for the City of Jacksonville. With Insight’s assistance, the City has acquired and demolished all 16 units returning the land to open space in perpetuity. Insight and Jacksonville continue to work together to provide Unified Relocation Assistance to renters and State Acquisition Relocation Funds to homeowners. Complete close-out of this project is anticipated in the Summer of 2022.