Iowa communities hit by this spring’s flooding are evaluating whether — and how — FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program could work in their area.
The grants may be used to buy homes that are damaged or destroyed by flooding, at pre-flood market prices, and the land is cleared.
“FEMA will specify a certain amount of money. That amount of money will be given to the State of Iowa, communities then need to submit a list of addresses for potential buyout in the program to the State of Iowa,” Kevin Robinson, the deputy city manager in Spencer, told Spencer’s City Council this week. “The State of Iowa then analyzes those properties and then will tell each community how much money they’re going to receive for property acquisitions.”
FEMA typically pays 75% of the cost of these projects, with state and local governments being responsible for the rest.
“The goal of an acquisition project is to permanently remove at risk structures from the likely path of flooding,” Robinson said. “…These property acquisitions must be strictly voluntary, meaning whoever currently owns the property opts into this program.”
The program was used previously in Cherokee, where nearly 190 homes were either demolished or moved — clearing about 67 acres along the Little Sioux River.