To jumpstart the state’s State Resiliency and Flood Protection Act to allow the Resiliency Office to begin the work of assisting areas of the state prone to flooding, to undertake actions to reduce or prevent future flooding.

HB 5646 increases the West Virginia Flood Resiliency Trust Fund to $250 million and allocates $1 million from the Revenue Shortfall Fund to the Disaster Recovery Trust Fund to assist communities affected by 2024-2025 flooding. The bill requires the State Resiliency Office to develop a flood protection plan using at least 6% of federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds. It mandates annual expenditure reports and budget requests to the Resiliency Office Board, enabling the office to begin flood prevention work in vulnerable areas. The legislation directly supports flood-prone communities and state recovery efforts through concrete funding mechanisms.