Congressman Pat Harrigan Introduces SAFE Rural Act to Strengthen Flood Resilience in Rural Communities
Contact: Lexi Kranich (814) 380-4408
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10) introduced the Sustainable and Flood Resilient Engineering for Rural Areas (SAFE Rural) Act, bipartisan legislation to expand access to FEMA flood resilience funding for rural communities and remove barriers that too often prevent small towns from preparing before disaster strikes. Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) joined Harrigan as the bill's original co-lead.
"Communities across western North Carolina know better than anyone that rebuilding after a flood is always harder and more expensive than preparing beforehand. The problem is that too many rural communities never get the chance to prepare because they don't have the staff or resources to navigate Washington's grant process. The SAFE Rural Act changes that by making it easier for small towns to access the funding they need to strengthen critical infrastructure before the next disaster hits. That's a smarter use of taxpayer dollars, and it's how we build more resilient communities for the long haul," said Congressman Harrigan.
“Rural communities are often the first to feel the impacts of severe weather and flooding, but they don’t always have the resources to prepare,” said Congressman Eric Sorensen. “The SAFE Rural Act helps level the playing field by making sure small towns and rural areas have the tools and funding they need to protect their families, infrastructure, and communities before disaster strikes.”
The SAFE Rural Act has earned the support of leading organizations representing engineers, floodplain managers, and resilience experts:
“Small, rural and under-resourced communities often lack the funding and capacity to build resilience before disaster strikes, and BRIC's competitive grant model too often leaves them behind. AFCA applauds Congressman Harrigan and Congressman Sorensen for their introduction of the SAFE Rural Act. This bipartisan proposal would empower states to steer proactive resilience investment where it's needed most with fewer bureaucratic hurdles, and deliver dedicated funding for rural and under-resourced communities,” said Julie Seger, Federal Advocacy & Policy Director at AFCA.
"Rural, Tribal, and U.S. territorial communities are often among the most vulnerable to severe flooding and its devastating impacts. By expanding access to hazard mitigation funding, encouraging the use of modern engineering practices and helping underserved communities overcome barriers to project delivery, the SAFE Rural Act will help these communities to better protect their residents, critical infrastructure systems, and local economies while reducing the long-term costs of disaster recovery,” said Marsha Anderson Bomar, President of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
"The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) is proud to support the SAFE Rural Act in addressing one of the shortcomings of existing pre-disaster hazard mitigation programs - equal opportunity for rural areas and Tribal nations. By using proven approaches to provide technical assistance and funding to these communities and avoiding known pitfalls in existing programs, the SAFE Rural Act allows funding to be flexibly used for locally identified and prioritized flood hazard mitigation efforts. We' ve long known that the benefits of hazard mitigation actions far exceed their costs. By directing a small part of the Disaster Relief Fund towards hazard mitigation, the SAFE Rural Act compels responsible stewardship of these taxpayer dollars by enabling long-term community flood resilience,” said Chad Berginnis, Executive Director of ASFPM.
“The National Association of Flood & Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) strongly supports the Sustainable and Flood Resilient Engineering for Rural Areas Act (SAFE Rural Act) and urges Congress to pass it without delay. Rural communities, Tribal lands, and U.S. territories often face the greatest flood risks and the least capacity to access federal mitigation funding. The SAFE Rural Act fixes this by establishing a dedicated, formula-based funding stream within the BRIC program, capitalized by a 2 percent set-aside from the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund. It streamlines applications for small projects, waives cost-share requirements for economically distressed communities, and builds state and local capacity through the Community Assistance Program. Every dollar invested in pre-disaster resilience saves many more in post-disaster recovery. This legislation reflects that reality, and NAFSMA is proud to support it,” said Sunny Simpkins, Executive Director of NAFSMA.
The SAFE Rural Act establishes a dedicated rural flood resilience fund within FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program to provide formula-based funding for eligible rural communities, Tribal governments, and U.S. territories. The legislation streamlines applications for smaller projects, expands technical assistance, and helps communities invest in flood mitigation projects before disasters occur, reducing long-term recovery costs while strengthening critical infrastructure.
The SAFE Rural Act has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for consideration.