Rep. Sarbanes, Colleagues Announce More Than $1.5 Million for Ellicott City Flood Recovery and Mitigation

WASHINGTON, July 7 -- Rep. John P. Sarbanes, D-Maryland, issued the following news release:

Congressman John Sarbanes joined U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.), in announcing $1,515,201 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for flood prevention and recovery efforts in Howard County.

"Over a period of only two years, Ellicott City and surrounding communities in Howard County experienced back-to-back 1,000-year floods, which devastated local businesses and homes," the lawmakers said. "This new round of federal funding for Howard County will strengthen flood prevention and mitigation infrastructure in the region and help small businesses and homeowners recover from these historic floods. Our delegation will continue working to secure resources to improve flood resiliency and recovery efforts in Ellicott City and across Maryland."

In 2018, the Maryland Delegation urged President Trump to approve federal assistance for Howard County. In addition to the tragic loss of life, the floods caused an estimated $10.5 million in damage to public infrastructure in Howard County.

The FEMA Public Assistance Program provides funding for post-storm responses, such as major flooding events, and helps repair publicly owned infrastructure - including roads, bridges, schools and parks. The grant announced today is authorized under Section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Act.