Historic NC town has long been promised federal flooding help. It's finally coming.

Jan. 10--RALEIGH -- The historic town of Princeville is set to get better protection from floods with an improved levee to hold back the Tar River.

The Army Corps of Engineers is getting $39.6 million for the design and construction of a Princeville levee, members of Congress announced.

Big hurricanes in the past 20 years have devastated the town in Edgecombe County.

The town, founded by freed slaves as a settlement called Freedom Hill, was incorporated in 1885. It is the first incorporated, independently governed African American town in the nation, according to the State Library of North Carolina.

Hurricane Floyd in 1999 caused widespread devastation when the Tar River flowed over the levee and swamped Princeville. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 again forced residents from their homes and sent the town hall and fire station to temporary facilities, the News & Observer has reported.

Waiting for help for a long time

Better flood protection for Princeville was discussed after Hurricane Floyd, but money never backed up the talk.

"We've been waiting for dike upgrades since the 1999 flood," Princeville Mayor Bobbie Jones said in an interview Friday.

Jones said he greeted the news with "guarded optimism, because we want the process of putting plows and shovels in the ground to start as soon as possible," with the next hurricane season starting in months.

"All the things we're doing are mitigation," he said. "Get people out of harm's way, but preserve the town of Princeville."

The $39.6 million will increase the elevation of highways and install more levees around the Tar River, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said in a statement. The money is coming out of the $19.1 billion in disaster relief Congress approved last year.

"I applaud the Corps of Engineers for prioritizing this long-needed project so we can better protect Princeville families and businesses," Burr, a Republican, said in a news release.

'Overjoyed' for historic town

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield said in a statement that he was "overjoyed."

"The completion of the levee project will ensure the longevity of this historic town for current and future generations," Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, said in his statement. "I am pleased the Trump Administration recognized the historical significance of the Town of Princeville and the need to protect its residents."

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday that project will increase safety and resilience.

"Federal funding for a new levee in Princeville is good news for residents who have been hit hard and are continuing to rebuild," Cooper's statement said.

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

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