DENVER (FEMA) – FEMA has awarded nearly $1.5 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds to the City of West Fargo for the purchase of at-risk properties along the Sheyenne River and their removal from the floodplain. This acquisition project will allow property owners to relocate away from high-risk areas and prevent damage from future flooding and erosion events.

The Hazard Mitigation grant will cover the cost of acquiring four properties along the Sheyenne River in West Fargo along with the cost of demolishing all structures on the properties and returning the land to its pre-construction state. Persistent erosion from the Sheyenne River has caused severe sloughing of the riverbank resulting in unstable soil conditions and landslide risks that could make the homes unsafe to inhabit within the next five years.

Once the City of West Fargo has acquired the properties, they will be required to demolish and remove all remaining structures, restore the sites to pre‐construction condition and keep them as open space in perpetuity. For a community to receive Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds, property owners must voluntarily agree to participate in the program.

This FEMA grant represents 90 percent of the cost of the project with the remaining cost share the responsibility of the State of North Dakota and the City of West Fargo.