I am relieved that the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program has been reinstated and that $1 billion in funding may finally be released to communities across the country.<\/p>\n
But let me be perfectly clear: It should never have been canceled in the first place.<\/p>\n
![\"Scranton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/STT-L-DEBATE-1017-09-1.jpg\")
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhart Cognetti answers a question during the Scranton Mayoral Debate in the PNC Auditorium at the University of Scranton\u2019s Loyola Science Center in Scranton Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n
For years, our administration fought for families in North Scranton and Keyser Valley who lost everything in the devastating September 9, 2023 flood. These are our neighbors who have been living in limbo, paying mortgages on homes they cannot live in, crashing with family and friends, waiting for answers that should have come sooner. We refused to let them be forgotten. We refused to accept that the government would walk away from them.<\/p>\n
So while I am cautiously optimistic that this relief may be on its way at long last, I am also\u00a0angry and frustrated.<\/p>\n
Because the truth is, this was a completely unnecessary delay. Communities like Scranton were doing exactly what we were supposed to be doing: Preparing for disasters, investing in prevention, and protecting residents and first responders before the next storm hit.<\/p>\n
We submitted the extensive paperwork for these funds while we were still providing immediate relief to residents, cleaning up from the storm, and pushing for public infrastructure dollars to help cover the $7.5 million the city laid out for creek beds, bridge work, and road repair.<\/p>\n
Canceling BRIC pulled the rug out from under all that hard work, not just here, but across the country. It wasted time, energy and resources for municipal governments and for the American people. Especially for the seventeen families that are waiting to get back their financial footing and move on with their lives.<\/p>\n
I thank Governor Josh Shapiro for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us in this fight. The reinstatement of BRIC did not happen by accident. It happened because we spoke up, because we pushed back, and because we refused to leave these families behind.<\/p>\n
In Scranton, flood mitigation has never been an afterthought. It has been a central focus of our administration since day one.<\/p>\n
Long before the floods of 2023, our city\u2019s stormwater challenges were decades in the making. Aging infrastructure, years of deferred maintenance, and increasingly intense storms left neighborhoods vulnerable and residents frustrated.<\/p>\n
We chose to take these challenges seriously and fix what had been neglected for far too long.<\/p>\n
We committed nearly $23 million in American Rescue Plan funding to stormwater mitigation, because it was the right thing to do. We invested in infrastructure projects across Keyser Valley, North Scranton, Tripp Park, Minooka and East Mountain.\u00a0We\u2019re finally tackling Meadow Brook to make improvements in partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We\u2019ve cleaned thousands of feet of storm pipes, upgraded drainage systems, and launched major construction projects designed to move water safely and efficiently through our city.<\/p>\n
But we didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n
We provided direct disaster recovery grants to 90 homeowners. We created pop-up response efforts to help residents navigate cleanup and recovery. We pursued FEMA buyouts for the most flood-prone properties, working to give families a path forward when rebuilding wasn\u2019t possible.<\/p>\n
And yet, even with all of this work, we know the job is not finished.<\/p>\n
Reinstating BRIC is a critical step forward, but it does not give back the time our residents have lost. It does not erase the stress, the uncertainty, or the financial burden they have carried for years. What it does is restore a path forward, one that we intend to see through.<\/p>\n
Our commitment is simple. We will continue to fight for these families until they are made whole. We will continue to push for the federal support that should have been awarded a year ago. And we will continue investing in the infrastructure and planning needed to protect Scranton for generations to come.<\/p>\n
Good government is not always flashy. Often, it is the work you don\u2019t see. The pipes beneath our streets. The culverts that carry water away. The plans that prevent disaster before it happens.<\/p>\n
But when that work is done right, it saves homes. It protects families. It keeps our first responders out of harm\u2019s way. And it builds trust.<\/p>\n
To the residents who have been waiting, I want you to know this: We have never stopped fighting for you. And we are certainly not stopping now.<\/p>\n
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