Hermosa, SD
Accessing federal funding
Severe rainstorms cause sudden flash floods in the small Town of Hermosa, South Dakota, located on the eastern edge of the Black Hills in Custer County. The town’s stormwater system together with Battle Creek south of town and Old Dairy Drainage north of town periodically overtop roads and damage infrastructure. In 2007, significant flooding washed out an adjacent railroad embankment and moved three homes off their foundations.
FEMA designated the Town of Hermosa a Community Disaster Resilience Zone in September 2023 due to its high levels of social vulnerability and natural hazard risk.
FloodWise Community Assistance approached town leaders in June 2023 and offered to help. FloodWise staff facilitated monthly stakeholder meetings and, with the town’s approval, contracted an engineer to assess drainage in the town and create a drainage improvement plan. Flood and drainage mitigation projects were identified and presented to residents.
The contracted engineer and FloodWise staff also helped the town prepare a grant proposal for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program in 2023. In 2024, FEMA selected Hermosa for a grant of more than $400,000 to prioritize projects, conduct feasibility and benefit-cost analyses, and design engineered solutions to make the community more flood resilient. Hermosa was also selected to receive FEMA direct technical assistance for further flood resiliency needs.
Snapshot
- 2023 FloodWise community
- Population: 397
- Major waterways: Battle Creek, Old Dairy Drainage
- Flood type: Rainstorms overwhelm infrastructure
- Designated FEMA Community Disaster Resilience Zone