The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works or DTOP recently signed a Project Partnership Agreement or PPA to provide relocation assistance to numerous properties located in a flood zone.
[Above photo by the USACE]
That relocation initiative is part of the nearly $30 million Río Grande de Manatí Flood Risk Management Project in Ciales; a project authorized under Section 202 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020.
Colonel Charles Decker, USACE Caribbean District commander, and DTOP Secretary Eileen Vélez-Vega signed the PPA, which is the first to be executed in the USACE’s recently-created Caribbean District.
[Editor’s note: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently profiled Vélez-Vega in an episode of its “State DOT 2-Minute Update” video series.]
The agreement covers the acquisition and demolition of 59 structures located within the flood zone; relocating residents and businesses outside the flood area to comparable properties, respecting the preferences of those displaced.
“This collaborative effort will not only protect residents from the floods that have affected the region for years, but it will also contribute to the preservation of the natural environment,” said Vélez-Vega, who also serves as chair of the AASHTO Council on Aviation Transportation, in a statement.
“The conversion of this area into a nature reserve will ensure the safety of communities while promoting environmental conservation, thus benefiting both the population and local biodiversity,” she added.
The USACE noted that the Río Grande de Manatí Flood Risk Management Project is a “cost shared” endeavor, where 65 percent of the cost will be covered using federal funds under the 2022 Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act and the other 35 percent will be paid for by DTOP as the local project sponsor.
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