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Officials consider flood buyout options, thievery among topics

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[One unfortunate take-home message from state officials during a flood mitigation and buyout meeting Tuesday was to document conditions in flooded houses before the thieves make off with pieces of the structure.

Saline County Emergency Management Agency hosted the meeting at the Harris-Pruett Building in Harrisburg. Representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Department of Natural Resources expected to speak about rules of construction in flood plains and the state&#39;s buyout program. But at least two members of the public asked about what happens when thieves steal part of a structure.

John and Brandy Robinson&#39;s house outside the Village of Muddy got 22-inches of water in it. They had moved most of the items out and into storage prior to the flood and had been living with Brandy&#39;s mother. They rented an apartment just Tuesday. Meanwhile, they are still paying insurance on their house that has sat unattended since the April flood.

"I&#39;ve got an air conditioner missing and satellite dish missing," John Robinson said.

If the county opts to enter the state&#39;s program for buying out flooded properties and the Robinsons pursue that option, they are worried they could get less than the value of the property.

Another man who did not identify himself said he had recently put in new windows prior to the flood and he was worried about someone taking them out.

The owner of the Dragon Garden Restaurant and apartment rental on Missouri Street said she, too, was a victim of at least attempted thievery. Police arrested a man the owner had caught in the act stripping copper wiring out of the structure.

"Document the house as it is," Ron Davis of IEMA Mitigation said.

Home heating and cooling systems are considered part of the home&#39;s structure. Receipts, video and photographs are helpful to an appraiser if thieves have scavenged a home for salvage.

John Robinson said he was not aware residents of the county have been eligible for flood insurance. The county has been in the program since 2008.

Paul Osman of IDNR&#39;s Division of Water Resources said if the home was in a federally-backed mortgage the bank was responsible for notifying the Robinsons.

Flood plain

Osman told the crowd of flood victims and county and municipal officials the rules for building in a flood plain. The county and Harrisburg entered the National Flood Insurance Program in 2008. One of the stipulations is to keep an updated flood map that shows the flood plain. The county&#39;s flood plain map is to be finalized in December, Saline County EMA Coordinator Allan Ninness said.

No new structures may be built in the floodplain that are below the flood level. Neither may those properties displace water that can harm neighboring properties. No one may build without having first applied for a permit from the county.

"The toughest part of the job is what we call the 50-percent rule," Osman said.

If a structure is deemed to be 50-percent flooded, repairs to the structure are considered to be new construction.

"If a structure is damaged more than 50-percent it&#39;s considered a new building and has to be built above the flood level. It sounds pretty nasty," Osman said.

The last thing flood victims want to hear is having to take on new construction -- such as elevating a home above the flood level --when they only want to repair the damage done.

Osman said homeowners are often frustrated to hear this news, but some have called to thank him years later when there is another flood and their home is not touched by the water.

Osman encouraged everyone in the county&#39;s flood plain -- or those outside the flood plain who are worried -- to consider flood insurance. Only residents of Eldorado -- which is not in the flood program -- cannot buy flood insurance.

For homes built prior to the flood plain map the cost per year is $887, Osman said.

For homes built after the flood plain map the cost per year is $535 if built above the flood plain, Osman said.

An advantage to flood insurance is -- aside from covering flood losses -- the program provides an Increased Cost of Compliance that provides up to $30,000 that may be used to elevate the structure to bring it into compliance.

In response to a question from the audience, Osman said a person has two years from the time of loss to apply for ICC money.

"If you are considering (raising the structure&#39;s) elevation, I would jump on ICC right now," Osman said.

He knows of circumstances where people have applied for ICC money for elevation and had the job complete in three weeks.

Mitigation and buyouts

Davis said the state has $100 million to spend on buying homes of frequent flood victims in Illinois.

That program will buy homes at pre-flood market value if the county or municipalities decide to enter the state&#39;s program. For residents living in the county, that can be done once the county board votes to enter the program and once the county&#39;s mitigation plan is finalized. The next meeting regarding the mitigation plan is Monday, Ninness said.

Davis said in the last 18 years the state&#39;s acquisition program has bought about 3,000 properties which he said saves taxpayers $4 for every $1 spent. The goal is to not use tax money to spend on damage to the same homes that flood over and over.

Davis said the good news is homeowners get fair market pre-flood price on their homes that they may use on another home. The bad news is they typically have to wait a year for the closing. Davis and one other man handle all the acquisitions of flooded homes in the state.

"We&#39;re under water. We&#39;re swamped," Davis said.

The state won&#39;t buy all flooded homes. A formula determines if the home is worth buying. If it has been decades with no flood or if a home is built above the base flood elevation, the state will not likely buy the home.

An appraiser looks for three comparable properties to determine a value and the state pays for the appraiser and closing costs.

If a homeowner received money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or from flood insurance, that amount is deducted from the state&#39;s offer unless the owner can produce receipts proving that money was spent on home repairs.

If a property is purchased post-flood the owner will only receive the purchase price.

The program will also not buy a foreclosed property.

Once the state buys the property the house will be torn down, the property will be kept as open space and there will be a deed restriction preventing any future development on it.

Davis said regarding maintenance of the property, some jurisdictions work out a deal with neighboring property owners to mow it in exchange for garden space.

A person considering pursuit of a buyout should not demolish the property on their own unless the property is leaning, in threat of collapse or otherwise a threat.

"Get a document from the county saying you had to do it for that reason," Davis said.

People who have a home standing vacant waiting for a buyout can pursue a tax reassessment so they are not paying taxes on an unlivable structure, Ninness said.

He said forms are available at the Saline County Tax Assessor&#39;s Office at the courthouse.

Ninness passed out forms regarding the buyout program to flood victims in attendance at the meeting. He said he would deliver those from people in Harrisburg to the responsible city official, who has not been determined.

"This is an introductory thing," Ninness said.

"I take it to the county board, the city representatives will take it to the city. Right now there are three jurisdictions."

Muddy Village Administrator John Molinarolo was at the meeting, presumably to represent Muddy which also experienced flooding.

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DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.</li>

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