Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today relaunched Howard County’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program. This grant program, initially launched in 2019, is available to property owners and businesses located in high-risk flood zones across Howard County to assist with improvements to primary buildings or structural stream crossings, and to help remove debris from property adjacent stream channels. Through this expanded grant program, Howard County will match 50 percent of flood proofing costs up to a maximum match of $6,000 for property owners and $3,000 for businesses.
We know that for our residents and businesses to remain successful, they must also be resilient. In Ellicott City and our vulnerable watersheds, this means ensuring that our businesses have the resources they need to survive severe weather and the impacts of climate change. We have seen the impacts of these investments in safeguarding those most susceptible to flooding. Through these impactful grants, more residents and business owners located in high-risk flood zones will be able to make necessary improvements to protect properties from future disasters.
Since its launch in 2019 as part of phase one of the EC Safe and Sound flood mitigation plan, more than $150,000 has been awarded. Property owners and businesses used funding to construct flood proofing projects and adopted flood mitigation strategies for their properties and businesses. This program quickly became a vital tool used to support businesses and property owners in Historic Ellicott City as they made important safety improvements following the devastating Ellicott City floods of 2011, 2016, and 2018. Grant awardees included The Forget-Me-Not-Factory, an Historic Ellicott City business on Lower Main Street that took advantage of the grant program to purchase custom flood resistant doors.
“After the 2018 flood, we wanted to protect and preserve our building, and reduce the stress on ourselves as well. The improvements are aesthetically pleasing, and serve the purpose of keeping the water out,” said Barry Gibson, owner of The Forget-Me-Not-Factory. “Howard County’s grant program assisted us in paying for these doors and floodproof products, and that was very helpful.”
The application for the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant will open on Friday, March 15, 2024, and will close on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Howard County Department of Public Works’ (DPW) Stormwater Management Division will hold a hybrid public meeting on Monday, March 11th from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. to help the community navigate and understand the 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant application process. The meeting will be hosted in-person in the Columbia/Ellicott City Rooms of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City and virtually via Webex.
The meeting will feature a presentation on the grant application process, including an explanation of the qualifications, application deadline and grant performance time frame. Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session.
To participate in the meeting virtually, the Webex webinar number is 2316 832 5979 and the password is “prevention” or 77383684 from phones and video systems; to join by phone, call 1-650-479-3207 and when asked, enter the access code: 231 83 25979.
Those unable to attend either the in-person or virtual meeting, who would like to view the meeting materials and/or have questions, should contact DPW’s Stormwater Management Division at 410-313-0522 or email stormwater@howardcountymd.gov.
Details about the 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant program are also available online at www.howardcountymd.gov/bureau-environmental-services/flood-protection.