Federal Funds Help Escambia and Pasco Counties
GAINESVILLE, Fla., April 1, 2016 —Florida will receive $2,341,750 for disaster recovery this fiscal year to help Escambia and Pasco counties make repairs caused by storms in 2014 and 2015. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is investing $93 million in 19 states through Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) assistance to help state and local governments repair damage caused by floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters.
In Escambia County $1,700,000 will control erosion and sedimentation in the Baywoods subdivision in Pensacola, Fla., and in Pasco County, $641,750 will remove debris and stabilize the Anclote River streambank.
“The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program is vital to communities repairing damage and making improvements to reduce future damage from natural disasters,” said Russell Morgan, NRCS Florida state conservationist. Public and private landowners are eligible for assistance, but must be represented by a project sponsor, such as a city, county, conservation district, Native American tribe or tribal organization.
USDA watershed projects provide an estimated $2.2 billion in benefits annually to local communities nationwide. Since 1948, USDA has helped local governments construct nearly 12,000 dams in 47 states and Puerto Rico to help prevent flooding and erosion damage, provide recreation opportunities, improve water supplies for drinking and irrigation, and create habitat for wildlife.
Visit a local NRCS office or check the website for more information about the Emergency Management Protection program.