CRISFIELD, MD - The Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project funding application can once again be considered for federal dollars after a U.S. District Court judge ordered FEMA to restart the awarded program.
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is designed to support pre-disaster and hazard mitigation projects, including in communities like Crisfield that face frequent flooding.
In July 2024, Crisfield was told it would receive more than $36 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for its Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project through BRIC.
FEMA announced in April 2025 that it would terminate BRIC and cancel all BRIC applications for Fiscal Years 2020-2023, including the flood mitigation grant awarded to Crisfield.
Last month, a U.S. District Court judge ordered FEMA to reopen BRIC applications for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
"Mayor Taylor never lost faith that the funding was going to come back,” Crisfield Grant Administrator Jennifer Merritt. “We are so grateful for the partners that have kept us on track, waiting for this opportunity to open again."
Through partnerships with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management, the Nature Conservancy and the Department of Natural Resources, Crisfield pivoted to a phased implementation of the project.
Phase I is currently underway. Merritt told WBOC the RFP for that part of the project will be awarded at the April 22 meeting.
City officials have been told that previously canceled applications will be prioritized during this new application window.
"The implementation of the flood mitigation projects will be much quicker under FEMA funding than it would be if we had to do them all as phased funding,” Merritt said.
Crisfield’s application for BRIC funding towards the Northern Flood Mitigation project will also go under consideration. The application window closes on July 23.