FLOOD BUYOUTS CONTINUE TO MAKE SENSE

More flood buyouts may be coming for some Cape Girardeau homes that are prone to flooding but weren't included in the buyouts that followed the extensive high water along the Mississippi River over the past few years.

In general, the flood buyouts have been worthwhile. For whatever reasons -- climate, manmade structures, reservoir holdings upstream -- the river has seen more than its share of flooding since the Great Flood of 1993. Each time homes are flooded, it usually falls on taxpayers to pay for relief to aid the stricken victims.

With buyouts, the flooded homes are removed, and new structures aren't permitted in the previously flooded areas. This means that, in the event of future floods, these same structures won't be in harm's way. And, therefore, they won't be eligible for more flood assistance.

Between flood buyouts and recent highway construction, officials estimate some 175 housing units, mostly low-cost housing, have been lost in Cape Girardeau. Some of this is being offset by special programs to provide new affordable housing, either single-family homes or apartments.

There continues to be a need for affordable housing as Cape Girardeau grows and continues to attract more jobs to the area.

But there also is a need to buy more houses that are in the way of another flood. The buyout programs didn't have enough money to purchase every home likely to be flooded again. City officials had to make some tough choices, aiming for the hardest hit and most-costly-repair-housing in the last round of buyouts.

Now the city is applying for additional state funds to purchase 19 more homes that have been identified as potential flood targets. If the application is approved, that may more homes will be removed. While this underscores the need for more new housing that is affordable to low-income residents, the idea of razing houses that are likely to be future flood victims still makes good sense.