The Village of Beech Bottom has received another seven-figure boost from the Senate Appropriations Committee for its flood control project.
The committee announced Tuesday that Beech Bottom will get $1,086,166 for the second phase of its flood control project.
The village received the same amount from the committee for the project’s first phase.
The funds are coming through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The money will be used to construct upgrades to the current storm sewer system to mitigate future flooding events. U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R.-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced phase one funding for the project last September.
Beech Bottom’s location along the Ohio River makes it one of West Virginia’s communities that faces a higher risk of flooding, Capito said.
This funding will help support needed efforts that will properly direct superfluous storm water towards outlets that preserve historic buildings, while also helping to prevent flooding within the village,” she said.
“The devastating damage from the 2016 flood is still felt across our state,” Capito added, “and this underscores the urgency for further mitigation and prevention in our communities. I will continue to use my role on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee to bring support like this to West Virginia.”
Manchin said the floods that have affected West Virginia in recent years are becoming more frequent and devastating. Funds like this will help Beech Bottom prepare for future natural disasters.