Elizabethtown approved for $5.2 million to repair hurricane damaged cemetery

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) — The State of North Carolina and FEMA have approved more than $5.2 million to reimburse an Elizabethtown cemetery following Hurricane Florence-related damage.

Hurricane Florence’s heavy rainfall saturated the cemetery adjacent to the Cape Fear River to cause about half of its grounds to sink. Ground saturation also shifted many of the more than 2,800 burial sites.

The grant reimburses the city for its work to reduce flood damage at the cemetery by installing drains to divert floodwater and a retaining wall to prevent river overflow. It also covers realigning the shifted burial sites to their original final resting places.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants for state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations to reimburse the cost of debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent repair work.

Public Assistance is a cost-sharing program. FEMA reimburses applicants at least 75 percent of eligible costs and the remaining 25 percent is covered by the state/

FEMA’s total share for the Elizabethtown Cemetery project is more than $3.9 million and the state’s share is more than $1.3 million.