Attorney General Jeff Jackson visited Pollocksville, a town affected by the loss of federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) funding. The BRIC program, established during President Trump’s administration, was designed to help communities prepare for disasters through projects such as constructing evacuation shelters, flood walls, and protecting critical infrastructure.
Pollocksville Mayor Jay Bender highlighted the importance of these funds for the town’s recovery after severe flooding from Hurricane Florence. “The FEMA-BRIC funds are a vital component of the Town’s award-winning Pollocksville Community Floodprint, a plan designed to recover and rebuild our flooded town in a responsible and resilient manner,” said Bender. “Rural recovery after a disaster requires creative planning. All the commercial buildings along Main Street received up to 14 feet of water and therefore are unattractive to potential businesses. From an economic development perspective, this creates challenges as we attempt to restore our small commercial district. The FEMA-BRIC project will enable us to elevate – or in some cases, build up the interior floors – to the required levels to mitigate against future flooding. Potential businesses would be more confident in coming to Pollocksville knowing that efforts have been made by the Town to mitigate against potential disasters. The Town’s budget is small, and we don’t have the funds to do this work. The FEMA-BRIC grant funds are crucial to our recovery efforts.”
Over 60 projects across North Carolina had been selected for BRIC funding before its cancellation in April. Many towns had already invested significant local resources into these initiatives when they were halted.
Attorney General Jackson has filed a lawsuit challenging FEMA’s decision, arguing it violates constitutional and federal law requirements. He is seeking court orders both temporarily stopping FEMA from reallocating BRIC funds elsewhere and permanently restoring both the program and its promised funding for North Carolina.
