Dutchtown residents learn about buyouts at meeting

With rain pounding on the roof and the Mississippi River rising due to heavy rains upstream, residents of Dutchtown learned Monday that a flood buyout isn't as simple as having people sign up to receive a check for their homes.

Sheila Huddleston, a hazard mitigation officer with SEMA, outlined the process that could result in the purchase and destruction of homes damaged during the flooding caused by the massive rainstorm that hit the region March 18. The next step, she told about 20 residents gathered at Affordable Furniture, would be for the village to find out who is willing to participate and apply for help.

"The very first thing you as a community have to decide is whether you want a buyout," she said. "Then comes the cost-benefit analysis."

Residents weary of fighting high water started talking about a buyout soon after the flooding that sent water spilling over the north embankment of the Diversion Channel in the early morning hours of March 19. About 15 homes in Dutchtown suffered major damage, as did Affordable Furniture and the Smith Stop convenience store at highways 25 and 74.

The flooding was the first time many residents had water in their homes, but in 1993, 1995 and 2002, temporary levees built along Highway 74 were the last line of defense against rising Mississippi River backwaters. Residents have been seeking help to build a permanent levee for more than a decade, but still lack the matching money needed to complete the project. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials will be in Dutchtown this evening for a discussion of what is needed to build the levee.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest at 40.5 feet in Cape Girardeau on June 18, 8.5 feet above flood stage. That level is about 8 feet below the record crest but is only six inches lower than the high water mark set after the March storms.

The predicted crest isn't enough to send water into Dutchtown again, but residents are watching. "We have to see how fast it gets to Cape and how fast it goes by," said Bud Obermann, village chairman.

The basic principles of a buyout plan, Huddleston told Dutchtown residents, are to remove people from harm's way, leave land open to flooding and reduce the costs of future flood damage. Buyouts are funded on a matching basis, with 75 percent coming from federal grants to the state and 25 percent coming from local sources.

Once a town applies for a buyout, the boundaries of the area slated for purchase are set and an initial review compares the cost of the buyout to the cost of repairing the potential damage from future floods. If that review is favorable, appraisals of each property must be done, Huddleston said. The appraisals set the price based on pre-flood values.

Any benefits already received, such as flood insurance or FEMA grants, are deducted if the money has not been spent on repairs, and an offer is made to the owners.

The owner of a property slated for a buyout may back out at any time, she said. There are no penalties for not accepting an offer.

For some residents, the ban on including commercial buildings in a buyout is a deal-killer. "I couldn't sell just for what they would give me for my home," said Bob Moss, owner of Affordable Furniture. His home sits on the same lot as the store.

The residents of Dutchtown have been rebuilding and the emotions that had them calling for a buyout have cooled, said Doyle Parmer, village clerk. He thinks the residents want the levee instead. "They need to be informed of both sides," Parmer said. "I will survey the town after the meetings."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

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