HEADED FOR HIGHER GROUND: COLLABORATION CALLED KEY FOR FLOOD BUYOUT

Martha Lemonds walked through a gentle rain Saturday morning, headed to a reunion of flood buyout participants.

Ironic, she said, that it rained on this day when rain caused so many of the problems that brought these people together.

"We can enjoy the rain now," she said. "We live up on a hill. We can sit in our family room and enjoy every minute."

Five years ago, Lemonds and her husband, Leroy, were among the families chased from their homes by the flooding Mississippi River.

Her home on Meadowbrook was one of 94 bought out through a collaborative effort to move people to higher ground.

"We kind of liked our little house on Meadowbrook," Lemonds said, "but we couldn't take the flooding. When it rained, like now, we started getting nervous."

They moved to a larger home in the Tanglewood Subdivision where the best thing about their new home is sense of comfort it brings. "It's dry," Lemonds said. "We really can enjoy the rain."

Stories like the Lemonds' were repeated over and over Saturday at a fish fry to celebrate the end of the buyout program. In addition to families who participated in the buyout, officials from the participating agencies also attended.

Four agencies provided the $2.6 million needed to fund the buyout. Steve Williams with the city of Cape Girardeau explained that the four worked together with the city. Without any one of the players, the program wouldn't have worked.

"It was a very large collaborative effort," Williams said. "Some of the houses had five different sources of funding. Individually, none of us could have pulled this off."

Woody Sadler, a buyout participant, agreed.

"There is no way the 94 families represented here today could have raised that kind of money," he said, "and even if we could have, we couldn't have gotten this done."

Sadler offered thanks on behalf of the families who participated.

Sally Hemenway of the Missouri Department of Economic Development said the Cape Girardeau program went smoothly.

"It was easy to be a part of this buyout," she said. "It was very well run. The city offered a lot of support and coordination."

Jerry Uhlmann with the State Emergency Management Agency agreed, saying: "It's quite a story here. As I talk with these people and learn what they went through, I'm glad we were able to help."

Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling said the areas where houses have been torn down will be used for parks or green spaces.

Although leaving behind homes and neighborhoods wasn't easy, the city is a better place following the buyout, Spradling said.

Rick and Cheryl Reed left their home on North Main and moved to a family farm in Cape Girardeau County.

While his family didn't profit from the buyout, Reed said they are better off.

"All of Cape Girardeau would have to flood before it ever got to us," said Cheryl Reed, "and 48 acres in the country is a lot different than a half-acre in the city."

Rick Reed said, "Life is a gamble. We took the gamble, and here we are."