BOSTON, MA – Today, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-Boston), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) announced nearly $1.7 million in federal funding for the Town of Scituate to fortify the Third Cliff seawall. The Third Cliff was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will assist with foreshore protection.
“Climate change is fueling stronger storms and more frequent flooding and we need to provide our coastal communities with the resources to adapt and respond to future storms. This federal funding will help Scituate repair and strengthen the Third Cliff Seawall and help ensure this critical protection for its shoreline. Whether it is superstorms like Sandy or winter disasters like the one that devastated Massachusetts in 2015, our cities and towns rely on funding from MEMA and FEMA, and I am pleased to see additional federal assistance coming to the Commonwealth to help our communities respond to emergencies,” said Senator Markey.
“The increase in ‘100 year storms’ is inflicting serious damage on our coastal communities. I have seen firsthand the costly and dangerous impacts of these storms in the coastal areas I represent including Boston, Quincy, Weymouth, Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, and Scituate. Scituate has made significant shore protection improvements in recent years and I am very pleased that the federal government can again partner with Scituate on these efforts. I am sure this federal grant funding will be welcome assistance to Scituate and will strengthen our shoreline protection from future severe storms,” said Congressman Lynch.
“This long-overdue FEMA funding will make a big difference for Scituate as it works to rebuild its seawall, and for other Massachusetts communities that are still recovering from storm damage,” Senator Warren said. “I’ve remained focused on working with the congressional delegation and local officials to secure these grants and to ensure that the federal government is a good partner for our cities and towns as they mitigate and respond to disasters.”
The federal grant of $1,680,851.33 from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund for the Town of Scituate will cover 75% of the total project. Scituate will use the funding to repair the Third Cliff Revetment, which was damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
State Representative Jim Cantwell said, “Scituate is ground zero for issues related to coastal adaptation and response to more frequent storms. I am so grateful for the attention from Senators Warren and Markey and Congressmen Lynch and Keating to coastal issues. I am so pleased to see this initial release of significant funds following Senator Warren’s local visits to survey damage and meetings over the years to discuss full FEMA reimbursement of what is owed to our communities. I want to thank the Senator and her staff for their staunch advocacy on behalf of Scituate and Marshfield.”
“This is great news for the residents of Scituate and we appreciate the efforts of Senator Warren and Senator Markey along with FEMA and so many other federal, state and local officials who worked on securing this funding,” said Scituate Town Administrator Patricia Vinchesi. “These funds will not only repair, but strengthen and reinforce revetments on Third Cliff and assist the Town in weathering future storms. Improvements for foreshore protection are extremely costly and these funds will help give us some much needed relief in addressing coastal needs along our 15 miles of shoreline.”
In addition to the grant funding for the Town of Scituate, FEMA also announced $1,311,593.00 in federal funding for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to administer the Public Assistance Program declaration following the severe weather during the winter of 2015. Congressman Lynch and the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation have repeatedly appealed to the federal government to assist the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with additional funding for the disaster recovery efforts following the historic storms in 2015.
“The record-breaking winter storms of 2015 strongly hit the budgets of cities and towns in the Eighth Congressional District. Governor Baker and I testified before FEMA strongly advocating for additional federal assistance and I am pleased that our work and the efforts of our Congressional Delegation were successful in bringing additional FEMA funding to the Commonwealth,” Congressman Lynch added.
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