On February 28, Gov. Tom Wolf was joined by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Bridgeville leadership, and local businesses, to discuss the need for funding to assist Pennsylvania’s communities with storm preparedness and disaster recovery.
“Last year was the wettest year on record in Pennsylvania, and communities across the state were impacted by record-breaking rainfall and flooding,” said Gov. Wolf. “Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding to help towns and cities deal with storm water mandates, upgrade flood walls and levees, replace high-hazard dams, and conduct stream restoration and maintenance to help protect our communities. Restore Pennsylvania will help homeowners put their lives back together after severe storms by establishing a disaster relief trust fund to assist individuals who suffer losses that the federal government will not fund.”
To achieve these goals, Gov. Wolf announced an infrastructure initiative, Restore Pennsylvania, funded by the monetization of a commonsense severance tax on natural gas production.
Restore Pennsylvania will invest $4.5 billion over the next four-years in significant, high-impact projects throughout the commonwealth to help catapult Pennsylvania ahead of every state in the country in terms of technology, development, and infrastructure.
Encompassing new and expanded programs to address five priority infrastructure areas including High Speed Internet Access, Storm Preparedness and Disaster Recovery, Downstream Manufacturing, Business Development, and Energy Infrastructure, Demolition, Revitalization, and Renewal, and Transportation Capital Projects, Restore Pennsylvania projects will be driven by local input about local needs.
Projects identified by local stakeholders will be evaluated through a competitive process to ensure that high priority, high impact projects are funded and needs across Pennsylvania are met.
In Bridgeville, the governor outlined how Restore Pennsylvania will help the borough and Allegheny County by with flood prevention and disaster recovery.
The National Weather Service reported that more rain fell over the area in June 2018 than had fallen in any other June in the past decade. An estimated 126 homes and 48 businesses were affected in some way by flooding on June 20.
“I am encouraged and excited about the potential opportunities of Restore Pennsylvania,” said Lori Collins, Bridgeville Borough Manager. This proposal would assist a small municipality such as Bridgeville Borough with large hazard mitigation project needs assistance that has not been available to us in the past; allowing us the opportunity to invest in our community to provide a safe, prospering region for residents and business owners, and the foresight to plan for future economic development within our community.”
The Restore Pennsylvania proposal includes these elements related to flood damage reduction--
-- Critical Flood Control Infrastructure: Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding for flood prevention that will protect against severe weather and save homes and businesses in flood prone areas across the state. Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding to help towns and cities prepare for flooding and severe weather, upgrade flood walls and levees, replace high-hazard dams, and conduct stream restoration and maintenance.
-- Helping Families Rebuild: Restore Pennsylvania will establish a disaster relief trust fund to assist individuals who suffer losses that are not compensated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other programs.
Click Here for more information on Restore Pennsylvania.
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