FEMA, Crisfield officials work together towards flooding solutions

CRISFIELD, Md. – Crisfield Mayor Darlene Taylor doesn’t want the city to “lose its magic.”

Time For Resilience

That’s what the mayor told Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials on Monday. The group toured areas of the city that are most vulnerable to flooding, and damage from rising waters.

“Right now is the time, in terms of resilience,” Mayor Taylor told 47 ABC WMDT during the tour. “A lot of agencies are looking at how do you make small communities more resilient. Because of our unique challenges here, and the way that we are set up, we are a prime place for that support to come into​.”

FEMA Focuses on Crisfield

FEMA officials say they’re usually thought of as the agency that responds after emergencies and natural disasters happen; however, this visit to Crisfield signifies a new mission.

“The flooding that is not only already happening, but is expected to continue to happen, is going to get worse due to the climate impacts that we’re seeing. And, Crisfield is in what has been designated as a [Community Disaster] Resilience Zone​,” said head of Resilience for FEMA, Victoria Salinas.

Crisfield earned that designation under Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2022. Under that new law, FEMA and other federal agencies are required to collaborate on assisting underserved and disadvantaged communities that are most at risk of natural hazards.

Unique Challenges

Monday’s tour of Crisfield, led by Mayor Taylor, is just one of the ways that officials plan to push for that collaboration. Salinas says FEMA’s ultimate goal is to provide both funding, and resources, to communities like Crisfield.

“They spoke about how, in the city like this, there’s not a lot of in-house engineers, and technical experts. And, complex projects can be very overwhelming for smaller communities, because they require so many types of expertise,” said Salinas. “Crisfield is now one of dozens of communities across the nation that we are helping plan for a better future.”

Mayor Taylor highlighted some of the areas that are submerged most often, including places of worship, residential areas, and Crisfield’s library. The question now, she says, is how to mitigate those rising waters.

“Whether there is going to be a berm there, whether we are going to put in some reconstructed wetlands,” said Mayor Taylor. “There are a couple of places, particularly Shiloh Church, that always flood, and there’s no access.”

Bolstering Bulkheads

Another project that Crisfield is hoping FEMA will help out with, is raising and bolstering bulkheads. They serve as a protective barrier in the waters around the city. Mayor Taylor says the city will learn in August whether FEMA has awarded funds for that endeavor.

“That will help us with the barrier that we are trying to create around our city to keep out the flooding,” Mayor Taylor said.

Tackling Temps

Rising temperatures are also a concern in places like Crisfield for FEMA.

“Being able to address flooding and extreme heat is part of maintaining community life,” said Salinas. “There’s that extra challenge of having the salt water be a barrier to investing in trees, and other types of nature solutions that combat extreme heat, too.”

City Dock in Dire Need of Repairs

Street flooding is a common sight for residents in Crisfield. However, something that they don’t see is the extensive damage done to the underside of the City Dock. Mayor Taylor says repairs, along with raising the dock, could be as expensive as $2 million.

“The [Department of Natural Resources] is actually funding the side that you see that is most damaged; what we call the Southeast Pier,” Mayor Taylor explained. “Underneath, there is damage that has been there for years, with the tides and the storms. So, being able to replace that is a big deal.”

Mayor Taylor is hoping for speedy repairs, as watermen work around them. “It makes it much harder for them to get in and out when the dock is in repair. We still at least have an area that is serviceable for them, but this will be even better,” she said.

Widening Crisfield’s Wallet

As all of this planning and preparing is happening, Crisfield is also remaining optimistic about the possibility of a passenger ferry, which would link the city to multiple destinations along the Chesapeake Bay. Right now, officials are conducting a feasibility study.

If that ferry does come online in the future, a redesign of the Crisfield City Dock would be in order, says Mayor Taylor. But beyond that, she says it’s time to invest in a place that has served as a center point for the community, and the setting for countless Crisfield memories. A $100,000 bond bill from State Senator Mary Beth Carozza is helping on that front.

“Whenever anyone wants to do anything, they want to come to the dock. And that’s wonderful, but it’s not necessarily a venue,” said Mayor Taylor. “So, one of the things we’re looking at is to create a venue, which could also have economic impacts for us, as well.”

“So much support,”

Looking ahead, Mayor Taylor sees a bright future for the City of Crisfield, with help from hands across the region.

“We have gotten so much support, at all levels; from the state, from the county, from the local, from federal,” Mayor Taylor said. “It has been phenomenal to watch those agencies collaborate and come together.”