FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOWN OF ABERDEEN RECEIVES DISASTER GRANT FROM FEMA

ABERDEEN, N.C. (June 7, 2017) – The Town of Aberdeen is pleased to announce it has received a $437,074 Disaster Grant from FEMA. These funds will support the repairs to the Aberdeen Lake dam and spillway.

The Aberdeen Lake dam and spillway, built in the 1940s, was damaged during Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. The sluice gate was damaged by the force of the large volume of water from the large amount of rainfall. As an emergency protective measure during the time of the Hurricane, the gate was released manually by using chains and a truck to release excess flood waters. The sluice gate and spillway piping will need to be repaired as a result of damage from manually opening it. The Aberdeen Lake has been drained since the damage occurred so the repairs can safely be made. The repair work is expected to take about 18 months to complete. We are hopeful that during the early stages of the repair, the Lake will be refilled with water by the use of a coffer dam that will protect the worksite during repairs.

According to Town Manager Paul Sabiston, “Restoring water to the Aberdeen Lake and repairing the sluice gate are the first priorities for this project. Additionally, we hope to perform some basic repairs to the dam structure itself which is now over 70 years old. We are grateful to FEMA for recognizing our need to repair this important piece of public infrastructure”.

The Disaster Grant is awarded for public assistance in presidentially declared disaster areas through an intense application and review process.