Removing or relocating structures from flood-prone areas is a common mitigation strategy to reduce flood risk. This proactive approach helps communities keep people out of harm’s way, restore natural floodplain functions, and strengthen resiliency. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grants can be used to support sustainable, cost-effective measures that reduce risks to people and property, as well as reliance on federal funding when natural disasters occur. Leveraging this funding to address long-term flooding in the City of Clare, MI, the Little Tobacco River Intercounty Drain Maintenance and Improvement project for Clare and Isabella Counties received a 2023 Innovation and Excellence Award from the Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners (MACDC).

The Little Tobacco Intercounty Drain Drainage District embarked on a proposed project to reduce the risk of flooding by increasing conveyance to an undeveloped region of the watershed. The project was designed by Spicer Group, however, prior to construction, it was determined that structures in the floodplain were encroaching upon and restricting flow of the drain to an unacceptable extent. Clare County’s preferred alternative for mitigation and/or eliminating the flooding concerns was to acquire and demolish the flood-prone properties and reclaim the area as green space. The Clare County Drain Commissioner’s Office pursued and secured a FEMA PDM Grant in 2017 to assist in funding this proposed mitigation on behalf of the Little Tobacco Intercounty Drain Drainage District.

Under a separate contract, the Little Tobacco Intercounty Drain Drainage Board hired Wade Trim to administer the FEMA PDM Grant from 2020 to 2023. Administered through the Michigan State Police (MSP) Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, the grant provided funding to purchase and remove properties deemed eligible by FEMA. This was a voluntary program and property owners were under no obligation to participate. Originally, owners of 22 primary properties and 4 alternate properties responded with interest. Construction documents and environmental inspections for all eligible sites had to be completed as part of the process. After inspections, appraisals, and extensive coordination efforts, 10 properties were purchased, demolished, and restored to open grass areas with a grant funding total of $1.45 million. Project challenges included extending the project’s funding timeframe by 2 years, working with the MSP through the COVID-19 pandemic and extensive dam breaches and flooding of 2020, and navigating FEMA’s processes for funding documentation, reimbursements, and budget modifications.