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Buyouts considered after Midwest flooding
Thursday, July 17, 2008 | No comments posted.
ST. LOUIS — Debbie Halcomb unpacked boxes as she moved back into her flood-damaged home, but worried that her damp carpet harbors mold. She enjoys the normally tranquil setting of Winfield, a community about three miles from the Mississippi River. But she’s had enough. She’s hoping for a government buyout so she can move to higher ground.
“I don’t know if I can take another flood,” Halcomb said Wednesday.
After the Great Flood of 1993, thousands of properties in flood plains around the Midwest were bought out by the government. Now, weeks after the latest massive flood, buyouts are again being considered in at least five states — Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.
Residents in areas that qualify can choose to sell their properties to their city or county, with 75 percent of the costs paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Communities that use the FEMA dollars agree to demolish structures on the properties and not develop the land, except for recreational use such as parks.
“I don’t know if I can take another flood,” Halcomb said Wednesday.
After the Great Flood of 1993, thousands of properties in flood plains around the Midwest were bought out by the government. Now, weeks after the latest massive flood, buyouts are again being considered in at least five states — Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.
Residents in areas that qualify can choose to sell their properties to their city or county, with 75 percent of the costs paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Communities that use the FEMA dollars agree to demolish structures on the properties and not develop the land, except for recreational use such as parks.
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