The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) has awarded more than $970,000 of combined funding to three flood mitigation projects in the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. The funds are part of DED’s Infrastructure Match Program (IMP), which supports disaster mitigation and resiliency.
In response to the devasting floods of 2019, the federal government declared a major disaster (DR-4420). Under this disaster declaration, and in coordination with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided funds to local entities in Nebraska through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Funds received through this program are subject to a cost share; the federal government covers a portion of eligible project costs, and the local entity is responsible for the remaining portion.
DED is helping to offset the required local cost share through the Infrastructure Match Program. The program leverages federal funds that the State received through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR) to support Nebraska’s long-term recovery from the 2019 floods. In August 2023, DED announced IMP awards for 12 long-term recovery projects to assist local entities with an estimated $6.9 million of project costs.
The three additional IMP projects awarded in January 2024 are FEMA Hazard Mitigation Projects that will benefit residents in Sarpy, Douglas, and Washington counties. These projects will purchase homes and commercial properties that were damaged in the 2019 floods and are located in a specific area of the floodplain. The awards will also assist in returning the land to green space.
DED will work directly with the Papio-Missouri River NRD via a subrecipient agreement for each HMGP project.
Infrastructure Match Program Awards – January 2024
| Papio-Missouri NRD Project | CDBG-DR Award Amount |
| Sarpy County Property Acquisition HMGP #7 | $170,221.25 |
| Douglas County Property Acquisition HMGP #8 | $681,415.50 |
| Washington County Property Acquisition HMGP #9 | $123,082.75 |