Secretary Jewell Announces $102 Million in Coastal Resilience Grants to Help Atlantic Coast Communities Protect Themselves from Future Storms

As part of the Obama Administration's commitment in the Climate Action Plan to make local communities more resilient against future storms, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced $102.7 million in competitive matching grants to support 54 projects along the Atlantic coast. The grants will fund science-based solution to restore wetlands and other natural areas, better manage stormwater using green infrastructure and assist states, tribal and local communities in protecting themselves from major storms such as Hurricane Sandy, which devasated much of the East Coast in 2012.

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    Secretary Jewell with youth at the Jamaica Bay Resilience Center. “Together with our partners, we are stabilizing beaches, restoring wetlands, and improving the hydrology of coastal areas, both protecting local residents from the next big storm while creating jobs and restoring habitat for wildlife,” said Secretary Jewell. Photo: DOI

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    Projects under the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program will also provide an economic boost, creating hundreds of jobs in local communities. Many of the projects will place special emphasis on engaging and employing youth and veterans. Photo: DOI

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    Jewell volunteered on a project at the Jamaica Bay Resiliency Center. This is just one of the projects will restore an estimated 6,634 acres of wetlands and marshes, 225 acres of beach, 364 acres of riparian buffers and 16 miles of streams. The efforts will also open 287 miles of streams to fish passage and restore 147 acres of flood plain. Photo: DOI

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