Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development recently announced the availability of $2.5 million in grant funding that could help Virginia cities and counties with restoration efforts following damages during several 2022 storms.

Charlotte County is one of those counties.

“This is good news for the 30 localities that experienced losses after last year’s winter storms and flooding,” Virginia State Director Perry Hickman said. “These communities can use the grants to identify and plan for facility needs, identify financing sources, and prepare reports, surveys, and applications to help them build back better with structures that are more resilient to increasingly severe weather risks.”

Charlotte County is listed as one of 30 localities that experienced losses and is eligible for grant funding; however, county officials say they will not be applying for funding.

According to Assistant County Administrator Monica Elder, the disaster referenced is a winter storm that occurred in January 2022.

“As shown on the FEMA map, we were the southernmost locality in the designated area,” Elder said. “While localities north of us experienced significant impacts, damage here was fairly minimal. Therefore, at this time, we do not have plans to apply for grant funding.”

Elder said localities eligible for the funding are those impacted by presidentially declared disasters in 2022 and having no more than 20,000 residents.

Grant funds must be used to repair essential community facilities damaged by the disaster, including the replacement of damaged equipment or vehicles and the purchase of new equipment to undertake repairs to damaged facilities.