Crisfield gets massive funding from FEMA to help protect against flooding.
CRISFIELD, Md – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be implementing the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program to help Crisfield in its fight against flooding.
Due to the being threatened by rising sea levels, the city will be receiving 36 million dollars in grant funding, to address the flooding issue.
Crisfield resident, Cynthia Freeman said, this has been ongoing since she moved to the city. “There’s been neglect for years, to get ditches, and maintenance on things due to lack of funding and lack of personnel, I know my home floods constantly.”
The project will be called the Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project, the project means adding new storm sewers, improved ditches, as well as tide gates along the city perimeter. The Northern half of the project will be decided, based on the grants that come in, when the city applies in the fall.
This flood protection plan signifies up to 3 and a half feet to protect against the high tides. Resident, Emanuel Johnson, said as a pastor he has to schedule his services with the weather always on his mind.
“We flood often, with the rain and the high tide, and we have to cancel services, make sure we get folks out of service, before the streets flood, so it is an issue, so hopefully it will rectify the problem.”
Being in such a low-lying area makes the city so unique, the city of Crisfield only has a population of 2,500 residents, and Freeman said people don’t understand what it means to live in Crisfield. “People that don’t live in this area, don’t really understand the hardship, and yes, we knew it was like this when we brought a property in the area, but in the old days it only flooded during hurricanes,” said Freeman.
Tony Ross lives on Hammonds Point, one of the few areas that is not recognized as a flood zone by FEMA. He still feels this is a step in the right direction. “Will it be enough to cover everything that truly really needs to be done, I don’t know probably not, but this a start, that’s for sure.”
Construction is set to begin in 2026.
