Senator Carper Attends Prime Hook Briefing

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Monday, Sept. 15, 2014, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper visited Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge to learn about its restoration and resiliency plan. The briefing was conducted by Atkins Global, the engineering firm leading the project.

The refuge has long suffered from flooding, and in 2012, suffered substantial damage from Superstorm Sandy. The refuge received $20 million in federal recovery money to restore the dunes and beach line and $19.8 to create a system that will be more resilient to damage from storms and sea level rise.

“While my colleagues in Congress and I were working to secure federal funding to help Delawareans recover from the impact of Superstorm Sandy, I wanted also to make sure we were going to be smart about how we rebuild,” said Sen. Carper. “Now that we have this funding and a science-based restoration and resiliency plan, we can begin to rebuild the dune line and nurture a resilient salt marsh that will provide the best long-term buffer against climate change. This is a true example of the federal and state governments working together with the community to help the refuge and the residents, and I’d like to thank Frank Draper, the team at Prime Hook, State Senator Gary Simpson and State Representative Harvey Kenton for their work toward this effort.”