Kentucky Officials Mull Buying Flood Victims’ Properties

Officials in McCracken County are moving forward with a plan to purchase property from flood victims so that the land won’t be built on again.

The McCracken County Fiscal Court voted last week to apply to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency buy-out program. The move is an effort to help about 30 property owners who had significant flood damage during torrential rains in the spring.

When a presidential disaster is declared, FEMA allots funding to individual assistance, public assistance and mitigation. The funding is totaled and states included in the declaration usually are given 15 percent to further help those affected. Kentucky is receiving 20 percent in this case. When a county chooses to participate in the buyout program, it has to pay 13 percent of the cost.

McCracken County Judge-Executive Van Newberry said that Kentucky is getting a total of about $2.5 million. If the Fiscal Court decides to participate in the program, Newberry said the county would have to come up with more than $300,000.

That total is based on the number of homes that had at least 50 percent of the value of the home damaged beyond repair. Between 30 and 40 homes fall under that category, officials said.

County officials agreed in June to participate in the program, and they voted last week to move forward with their application. Newberry said there’s still time to review it before any money is paid out.

“We’re just moving the process forward tonight,” he said.

Commissioners will have to vote to commit to the program if the application is approved.

Money for the county’s share would either come from Community Development Block Grant funds or from taxpayers, Newberry said.

Under the FEMA program, no structures would be allowed to be built on the properties again. Newberry said they would be converted to green space or used for agriculture.

If the county commits to participating in the program, it will take about a year before it has full ownership of the properties and is able to clear away structures currently there, Newberry said.