City Looking at Options as FEMA Money Vanishes

Whiteville is losing $5.1 million in FEMA flood prevention funding, money that would have helped improve Mollies Branch.

“This means a lot to the city,” City Manager Darren Currie said. “Losing the BRIC money was a huge hit to the project.”

 Whiteville had planned to use the $5.1 million from FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program with a $1.3 million grant from the N.C. Emergency Management to radically improve drainage in the western half of the city.

Virtually all the stormwater west of the bypass and north of Soules Swamp flows into Mollies Branch and through downtown. Mollies Branch regularly floods, even during major thunderstorm events, despite efforts by the city to keep the stream clear. Catastrophic flooding from Mollies Branch downstream has caused millions in damages in hurricanes like Matthew and Florence. While the city has made some improvements, and continues to do so, the improvements are just small parts of the larger problem, Currie said

 “Basically, Mollies Branch is the backbone of the drainage on the west side of the bypass,” Currie explained. “Although it may not have stopped all the flooding completely, this project certainly would help during large thunderstorms.”

City officials have been working to find ways to use the remaining $1.3 million in stormwater improvement funds to help neighborhoods on the west side. The N.C. State Coastal Design Lab, which has been working on improving all aspects of flood prevention, recovery and resiliency in the city, is doing some additional modeling on ideas and is expected to share those with the city in the near future.

Managing stormwater flow in the west will help manage stormwater flow through downtown, Currie said, as well as helping residents and property owners in those areas.

“This is a tremendous setback on a project that would help not only the residents along the branch but much of the west side of the City,” Currie said. “The City has been discussing flooding in this area for several years and everyone was excited to finally be able to address the issue.

“The City is fully committed to try to build the entire project,” Currie said, “however, the city does not have this type of funding without grants.”

Around $11 million was earmarked for Columbus and Robeson counties, including funding for parts of Lumberton, floodprone areas in Tabor City and additional funding for the countywide drainage improvement project. Without those funds, the projects will likely not happen, Currie said.

North Carolina is one of several other states suing the Federal Government for the lost funds. Currie said the city will monitor that action.

”This was defiantly a once in a lifetime project to get some assistance to the neighborhood and the entire western part of the City,” he said.