$3.67M Allocated To Elevate Flood-Prone Cranford Homes

CRANFORD, NJ — New Jersey towns will share $39.93 million in federal funds to protect against flooding disasters, and Cranford will receive a significant chunk for its own flood mitigation efforts.

Cranford will receive $3.67 million to raise buildings along the Rahway River that are considered "flood-prone areas." This includes elevating 14 properties that have been damaged several times.

Most recently, Cranford was hit extremely hard by Hurricane Ida. The township received the most rainfall in all of Union County, at a little over 9 inches.

Read more: Rain Total In Cranford Higher Than Much Of Union County: Spotters

The recent federal funding is part of a $1 billion allocation from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities and Flood Mitigation Assistant programs. Both got a boost from President Joe Biden's administration and his $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law, according to NJ.com.

This funding is also designed to combat climate change.

Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the funding would “help to ensure that our most vulnerable communities are not left behind, with hundreds of millions of dollars ultimately going directly to the communities that need it most.”

Cranford also recently received $1.8 million in state funding to conduct a Southside Stormwater Improvement Project.

Mayor Kathleen Prunty said water tends to drain toward South Avenue and High Street in Cranford, which causes repetitive flooding for residents and businesses — particularly where High Street meets Chestnut Avenue and South Avenue.

Read more: Cranford Will Get $1.8M In State Funding For Flood Mitigation Project

The other municipalities that will receive federal funding for flood mitigation include Atlantic City, Bayonne, Newark, Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, Rutherford and Somerset County.

You can read about all of their flood mitigation efforts here.

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.