ScienceMarch 19, 2026

Court Orders Restore BRIC Grants for Disaster Resilience

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② Start Lesson

Key Vocabulary

grant/ɡrænt/

money given by government or an organization for a specific purpose

"The city applied for a grant to fix the flood drain."

judge/dʒʌdʒ/

a person who makes legal decisions in court

"The judge read the final decision."

funding/ˈfʌn.dɪŋ/

money provided for a project or activity

"The school received funding for new books."

Listening

Court Orders Restore BRIC Grants for Disaster Resilience

A court has ordered FEMA to bring back a grant program called BRIC. The program helps states pay for projects that protect towns from floods, fires, and storms.

FEMA said in April 2025 that it would end BRIC. On December 11, 2025, a federal judge ruled that ending the program was unlawful. On March 6, 2026, the court told FEMA to issue a notice of funding opportunity and to reopen BRIC within 21 days.

BRIC had helped states invest about $4 billion in local projects. Many state attorneys general and groups had sued to stop the cancellation. The court action is meant to make money available again for hazard work.

110 words

Quiz

1. What is the name of the grant program?

2. When did the judge rule the termination unlawful?

3. How many days did the court tell FEMA to reopen BRIC?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you worry about floods or storms where you live? Why or why not?

Have you ever seen a local project, like a sea wall or park, that helps against disasters? What happened?

What do you think about using government money to protect towns from natural hazards?