New Jersey is getting a major infusion of federal cash to help when the next major storm hits $72 million is coming as part of a project called building a climate Ready New Jersey now this project was chosen as a winner in a contest that was part of the Biden administration's inflation reduction act in total 19 winners were announced across the US and here in New Jersey it'll mean that communities all along our Coast Line will see some creative new projects underway that'll reduce their flood risks things like oyster reefs along the Shoreline to water permeable parking lots that absorb water runoff Ted Goldberg is in Perth Amboy today to see what projects are coming to that Waterfront that was once underwater after sanding thanks to a massive new federal program New Jersey is getting $72 million to build projects for flood protection us deputy secretary of Commerce Don Graves joined leaders and Perth Amboy to celebrate the new source of funding this is about keeping Coastal communities safe it's about being stewards of the environment we all live in it's about ensuring that the next generation of Americans can lead lives of dignity millions of our residents live and work in these communities so investing in their ability to respond to the challenges of climate change is an investment in our shared future we experience routine flooding that puts families out of their home and risk rks losing livelihoods on such a frequent basis perthamboy is one of the places that stands to benefit if you had been here after Hurricane Sandy this Waterfront was completely destroyed this Waterfront was rebuilt With Disaster Relief funds after superstorm Sandy the resiliency projects that will pop up Statewide will vary based on where they're built congressman Frank palone shared some of the plans for Perth Amboy we're going to be building rain Gardens green roofs permeable pavement to tackle flooding and urban heat uh imagine walking on a sidewalk that soaks up water like a sponge or rooftops that are covered in Plants it'll support a pipeline of resilience projects to improve storm water drainage and restore ecosystems in 16 Coastal New Jersey counties that 72 million is slated to fund resiliency projects in more than 400 municipalities Statewide including some places that Drew up projects for after superstorm Sandy but never got the funding for them that planning work enabled us to do community-based Grassroots up thinking and engagement right and as uh our colleagues from Noah and commerce have said uh that work that lives on a page right it now gets to jump at the P off the page and become concrete become actionable the project will spend more than half a billion dollars Nationwide with New Jersey getting more funds than all but two states all to try and reduce the damage from increased flooding and other effects from climate change in Perth Amoy I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news [Music]