Dutchtown residents discuss flood buyout

Gene Dumi has seen floodwaters pour into her home more than three times. She has a problem with mold in her house from previous floods, and after the most recent flooding of Dutchtown she has moved in with her son.

"I'm tired of it," Dumi said.

Many members of the Dutchtown community mirror Gene's frustration with the frequency of floods and about 20 people gathered last night at the former Affordable Merchandise building to learn about a residential property buyout funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Sheila Huddleston, a hazards mitigation officer with State Emergency Management Agency, outlined the process that could result in the purchase of homes damaged during flooding this spring. The first step is for the village to apply for a buyout.

Once a town applies for a buyout, the total buyout costs and money saved from future disasters are compared.

"For every dollar spent on the buyout, one dollar must be saved in future damage for the project to be eligible for funding," Huddleston said.

If the comparison shows the buyout is favorable, appraisers will visit each residential property and estimate values before the flood, using April 25 as the appraisal date.

Residents will be offered the appraisers estimations of preflood property value as the buyout price, minus any benefits already received, such as flood insurance, if that money was not used for repairs.

"This is a voluntary process for all participants," Huddleston said. "Property owners may turn down buyout offers; there is no penalty."

Huddleston told Dutchtown residents that the basic goals of a buyout plan aim to remove people from harm's way and to mitigate the cost of future flood damage.

"Buyouts are funded on a matching basis," she said. "FEMA will cover 75 percent of eligible costs for a project if the application from the village is accepted and the remaining 25 percent of costs are provided by nonfederal sources."

Village board member Angela Crutsinger is looking to the Community Development Block Grant to cover the nonfederal 25 percent of the costs.

The five members of the village board will meet sometime in the next week to vote on applying for the buyout or not.

At the conclusion of Huddleston's explanation, nine of the 10 couples present were in favor of the buyout, while one was undecided.

After the flooding in 2008, board members voted to not apply for the buyout. Residents have been seeking help to build a permanent levee for more than a decade but still lack money needed to complete the $4 million project. Village board member Kris Parker attributed the new support for the buyout to the frequency of flooding and the declining chance of getting the levee.

"We've seen drastic changes in the mindset of the town," Parker said. "For over 10 years the community has hoped for a permanent levee, and the price is only going to increase with time. Three years ago, most did not want a buyout. Now people are behind it and supportive of the board applying."

Pertinent Address:

Dutchtown, MO