The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on Mar. 24 that it will comply with a court ruling requiring the reinstatement of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, following legal action led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson. The announcement comes after a December court decision found FEMA had broken the law by canceling the BRIC program, which had $200 million in pending disaster prevention projects across North Carolina.
The issue is significant because many towns and cities have been waiting for funding to prepare for future storms. After FEMA initially resisted the court order, Jackson and other attorneys general returned to court seeking enforcement. The states prevailed, leading to a directive for FEMA to submit a plan restarting BRIC, which was filed Friday.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson said, “FEMA has finally acknowledged what the court made clear: the agency lost this case, and it needs to pay North Carolina the money it owes. This is good news – but the money hasn’t arrived yet, so we’re not done. Our towns and cities are waiting for the dollars they were promised to get ready for the next storm, and we won’t stand down until those funds arrive.”
In its status report filed with the court, FEMA stated it will allocate remaining BRIC funds to states over coming months and begin accepting applications totaling up to $1 billion for next year’s BRIC programs starting Friday.
The North Carolina State Executive Attorney General acts as a state government entity authorized to handle legal matters on behalf of North Carolina according to its official website. The office aims to prevent crime, assist law enforcement agencies across all of North Carolina, protect consumers’ interests and defend residents’ rights according to its official website. As attorney general, Jeff Jackson leads these efforts according to its official website, providing services such as legal representation of state agencies in court proceedings—including prosecuting criminal appeals—and offering consumer protection support statewide according to its official website.
Looking ahead, officials say they will continue monitoring FEMA’s compliance until all promised funds are delivered.
