Of the $11,284.762 allocated to date, 75 percent of project costs come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Regional Director John B. Copenhaver said today in Atlanta. The state of North Carolina will pay the remaining 25 percent, he added.

To be acquired and demolished in this latest project phase are three structures in the Palms Apartment complex, which is located in a 100-year flood plain adjacent to House Creek, said Eric Tolbert, director of the North Carolina Emergency Management Division (NCEMD).

NCEMD recommended the project to FEMA because of repeated flooding, Tolbert said. Sandbags stacked near the building entrances to deter flooding failed to do the job, he added.

The buildings will be torn down and the land maintained as open space in perpetuity, he explained. Tolbert said the site, once it is vacant, is expected to help facilitate the flow of floodwater in the area during times of severe weather, thereby lessening the chance of nearby residences being flooded.

Copenhaver said the Raleigh project represents "a partnership effort that is committed to breaking the cycle of damage-repair, which repeatedly has proved to be up to three times more costly to taxpayers than utilization of these proven mitigation methods."