How has this FEMA issue not been discussed

[MEGATRON]

I'm all about preservation but this is ridiculous.  The house should be torn down.

FEMA program will pay $500,000 to lift a Riverside home above flood level
Posted: October 14, 2012 - 12:23am  |  Updated: October 15, 2012 - 10:20am
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Iris Eisenberg stands in front of her flood-prone Riverside home. A program through the National Flood Insurance Program will raise her home several feet in an effort to help prevent future claims. BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
Iris Eisenberg stands in front of her flood-prone Riverside home. A program through the National Flood Insurance Program will raise her home several feet in an effort to help prevent future claims.
By David Bauerlein   

At Iris Eisenberg’s home, the floodwater keeps coming.

The water runs in sheets across the lawn, spills over the doorsteps, rises shin-deep in the living room. In the worst case of flooding, it topped the second step of the stairs leading to the home’s upper floor.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Eisenberg have come up with a way to get her Riverside neighborhood home out of harm’s way â€" at a cost of $503,671.

The 86-year-old home will be elevated so its foundation is 8 feet above the floodplain. FEMA will pay 90 percent of the cost, which is $453,304. Eisenberg will put up 10 percent, or $50,367.

City Councilman John Crescimbeni said he questions whether the federal program is getting the best bang for its buck. The Duval County Property Appraiser estimates the market value of the 2,400-square-foot home is $251,135, so the cost of saving it from future flooding will be double what the house could sell for.

He said it might make more sense to buy the property and demolish the house, as FEMA grants have done for other repeatedly flooded homes in Jacksonville.

“I think that’s a more permanent solution,” he said. “What happens if there’s a continuing problem or some super-storm floods it again?”

But the federal government doesn’t compare alternatives such as demolition versus elevation to determine which is most cost-effective. The program, which is voluntary for property owners, gives them the option of applying for grants to either sell out and move, or stay and reconstruct.

After the property owner decides, FEMA estimates how much the National Flood Insurance Program would pay in future flood damage claims if nothing is done. FEMA then determines whether the benefits of preventing those flood claims outweighs the cost.

Elevating Eisenberg’s home passed that test, barely. It got a benefit-cost cost ratio of 1.049. In other words, FEMA expects the $503,000 project will result in preventing $527,647 in future flood damage.

Eisenberg said demolition wasn’t an option she considered. She said it’s combination of emotional attachment to the home she’s owned since 1996, and also because the Riverside neighborhood is characterized by preserving historic buildings.

She said after she learned how much it would cost to raise the foundation, “That’s when I asked, ‘Does this really make sense?’ ”

But she said ultimately, it’s the only way to stop the chronic intrusion of water. She said when she bought the home, the previous owner told her a French drain handled stormwater runoff. But after she moved in and experience her first flood, she called the company that installed the drain and was told the prior owner had opted for a cheaper system than the company recommended.

“I’m the poster child of repetitive flooding,” Eisenberg said wearily. “You haven’t lived until you’ve got water coming out of your dishwasher.”

The fix won’t involve local taxpayer dollars, but the Jacksonville City Council must approve a pending bill accepting the grant because the city will be responsible for administering it.

Since 2006, FEMA has authorized almost $5.4 million in grants for 19 properties in Jacksonville

Most of the grants have paid to purchase the flood-prone property, demolish the buildings and keep the land off-limits to construction. But like Eisenberg, some property owners have obtained assistance to elevated buildings above flood level:

■ FEMA authorized $531,270 for the construction of a second story on a home at 4260 Yacht Club Drive. The renovation turned the ground floor into space for parking and storage. The property owner agreed to pay $177,089 for a total project cost of $708,359.

■ FEMA approved $148,583 in grants for demolition of a home at 2811 W. Fourth St. and construction of a new house on an elevated foundation. The homeowners agreed to pay $16,509 from their own pockets for a total cost of $165,092.

■ Clark’s Fish Camp, a Mandarin restaurant, benefited from $328,775. The restaurant paid $109,591. The work elevated a food and beverage storage area of the restaurant, according to city records.

The federal funding comes from premiums paid by property owners through the National Flood Insurance Program.

All taxpayers have a stake in the flood insurance program because it owes $17.8 billion to the federal government. That debt stems mainly from federal loans in wake of widespread damage claims caused by Hurricane Katrina.

One of its biggest problems is flood-prone buildings that repeatedly require insurance damage payments. Congress sought to tackle that problem by creating the Severe Repetitive Loss program to demolish those homes or elevate them. The program originally required a 25 percent local match, but that dropped to 10 percent in states with FEMA-approved plans for reducing flood threats.

Florida won approval in 2008, making it more affordable for residential owners to meet the required match. Since 2008, the federal government has authorized $309 million of those grants nationwide, and Florida has received $15.8 million.

FEMA has identified 31 residential properties in Jacksonville that are eligible for the program, and grants have been obligated for 13. Those are in addition to other grants that have assisted Jacksonville property owners over the years.

To qualify, the buildings must have suffered least four flood claims for more than $5,000 each in damage to the building and contents, or at least two claims for building damage in which the total amount of claims exceed the building’s market value.

The local community, such as Jacksonville, applies for the grant on behalf of the property owner. The state then submits it to FEMA.

Most of the grants pay to buy flood-prone property and raze buildings, which can result in grants that exceed the market value of the property. For instance, in March the City Council agreed to accept $1 million in FEMA grants to buy two homes near Little Pottsburg Creek that had a total market value of $557,000, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office.

When acquiring property, FEMA must examine the property’s current value, the original amount paid for the purchase, and what the value of the property was before the flood damage. FEMA determines which of those had the highest value for the home, and the property owner must get at least that amount.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-10-14/story/fema-program-will-pay-500000-lift-riverside-home-above-flood-level#ixzz29OStvAYX

[duvalbill]

Seems reasonable to pay half a million dollars to repair a house worth half that.  You can't put a price on sentimental attachment, megatron.

[MEGATRON]

What ever happened to caveat emptor?

[Captain Zissou]

Seems reasonable to pay half a million dollars to repair a house worth half that.  You can't put a price on sentimental attachment, megatron.

You're joking, right??  I think i know what house they are talking about on Yacht Club Rd.  The house is now monstrous and it doesn't look like the bottom floor is used for storage.  It looks like the owners just used the government to finance a huge addition.

[duvalbill]

Guess it went the same way as finding a reliable home inspector.  You'd think a doctor would perform her due diligence when making such a purchase.  You'd also think a doctor would be less inclined to accept a half million dollars from FEMA when knowing damn well the house isn't worth it, but I digress.

[duvalbill]

Seems reasonable to pay half a million dollars to repair a house worth half that.  You can't put a price on sentimental attachment, megatron.

You're joking, right??  I think i know what house they are talking about on Yacht Club Rd.  The house is now monstrous and it doesn't look like the bottom floor is used for storage.  It looks like the owners just used the government to finance a huge addition.

I sell my memento's for millions, so no, I'm not joking.  Good for her.

[MEGATRON]

You're joking, right??  I think i know what house they are talking about on Yacht Club Rd.  The house is now monstrous and it doesn't look like the bottom floor is used for storage.  It looks like the owners just used the government to finance a huge addition.

So, I am not alone in thinking this is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer dollars? 

[fsquid]

What ever happened to caveat emptor?

dead

[copperfiend]

I think i know what house they are talking about on Yacht Club Rd.  The house is now monstrous and it doesn't look like the bottom floor is used for storage.  It looks like the owners just used the government to finance a huge addition.

I think you are correct.

[fsquid]

was it in a flood plane in 96?

[MEGATRON]

Floodplain boundaries did not change between 1989 and 2010.

[fsquid]

Floodplain boundaries did not change between 1989 and 2010.

how often have they been updated?  Floodplains can change due to development.

[MEGATRON]

Floodplain boundaries did not change between 1989 and 2010.

how often have they been updated?  Floodplains can change due to development.

Like I said, they were updated in 2010.  The previous update was 1989.  There has not been much in the way of additional development in Avondale for years so I do not think that is the issue.

[buckethead]

Seems like a fleecing of the taxpayer to me. Somewhat of an odd first (or very early) post for a new member. It almost seems as if a vendetta might be one of the motives of posting this.

BTW... Calvin Johnson = BEAST

[MEGATRON]

Seems like a fleecing of the taxpayer to me. Somewhat of an odd first (or very early) post for a new member. It almost seems as if a vendetta might be one of the motives of posting this.

BTW... Calvin Johnson = BEAST

Yeah. I hate pediatricians.