Fayetteville to receive $18M after judge orders FEMA to restore funding

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A federal judge has ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to restore millions of dollars in disaster mitigation funding to North Carolina, a decision that state and local leaders are calling a major win for communities across the state.

More than 60 infrastructure projects statewide are expected to benefit from the restored funding. In Fayetteville alone, about $18 million will be allocated to projects aimed at restoring stream banks and repairing four bridges.

The ruling follows a federal lawsuit filed by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, along with several other states, challenging FEMA's decision to cancel previously approved funding for climate resilience projects. The lawsuit argued that the Trump administration abruptly pulled the funds, stripping roughly $200 million from North Carolina, including $18 million designated for Fayetteville.

Mayor Mike Colvin said the funding is critical to ensuring equitable public safety across communities.

"Personal safety and public safety shouldn't be determined by zip code or affluence," Colvin said.

With the funding now restored, Fayetteville officials say the money will help reduce erosion, mitigate flooding, and upgrade aging infrastructure. Planned improvements include work on bridges along Russell and Person streets, as well as stream bank restoration projects designed to protect surrounding neighborhoods and the downtown area.

Colvin said the city has already made significant investments to address flooding concerns, particularly on the east side of the community.

"We had areas, particularly on the east side of our community, that when the river flooded and when those banks overflowed it, it hit our downtown. So we've invested through an infrastructure bond, an increase in the size of the infrastructure underground, to make sure that water moves smoothly. We've replaced other bridges in other parts of the downtown area," Colvin said.

City officials said Fayetteville had already committed more than $3.5 million to these projects before being notified that the federal funding had been pulled.

Colvin said he congratulated Attorney General Jackson following the ruling and thanked him for his commitment to cities like Fayetteville.