Ninety-nine
homes destroyed in last year’s flooding have been approved for buyouts by the
state. The approval is one step in the federal hazard mitigation program.  Now FEMA will review the applications. That
process is expected to be completed next month.

The
FEMA hazard mitigation program allows towns to apply for the buyouts on behalf
of people whose houses were destroyed. 
The applications go first to the state.

Ray
Doherty is Vermont’s hazard mitigation officer.  Doherty says 99 homes in 34 towns have been
approved for buyouts by the state committee. Thirty to 40 percent of those
homes were destroyed in spring flooding. 
The rest were casualties of Tropical Storm Irene.

The
applications now go to FEMA. Doherty says the agency normally approves the
buyouts that the state has recommended, and the process should be completed
sometime next month.

There
are several reasons for the discrepancy between the estimated number of homes
destroyed in the floods and the number approved for buyout.

 “Invariably in every disaster there’s
disparity in numbers,” Doherty said. “There are initial estimates of maybe 200
and some odd homes or more. Very often a lot of those estimates are off.  I’m confident that the majority of the severely
damaged homes are being covered by this buyout program.”

Doherty
says in some cases homeowners decided they weren’t interested in the buyout
program. Also, mobile homes made up a disproportionate number of the dwellings lost
in the flooding and they didn’t generally qualify for the buyout program.

Nearly
all of the applications received were approved by the state hazard mitigation
committee, but several are in limbo because they may not meet FEMA
guidelines.  Doherty says the committee
is working to see if FEMA will still consider those applications.

Under
the hazard mitigation program FEMA pays up to 75 percent of the home’s
value.  It’s likely that the remaining 25
percent will be made up from a federal grant and the Vermont Housing
Conservation Board. 

According
to Doherty, “It’s still in process and there are a lot of factors
involved.  We like to think that in terms
of the buyouts, folks will receive close to 100 percent of the pre-disaster
assessed value.”

Once
FEMA approves the buyout and pays the homeowner, the land becomes the property
of the town and can’t be developed again.

Here are the towns where the 99 homes are located: Barre City, Berlin, Bethel, Bolton, Braintree, Brandon,
Brattleboro, Bridgewater, Burlington, Chester, Clarendon, Danby, Grafton,
Granville, Hartford, Jamaica, Londonderry, Middlesex, Newfane, Northfield,
Pittsfield, Readsboro, Richmond, Rochester, Rockingham, Royalton, Ryegate,
Sharon, Stockbridge, Wardsboro, Westminster, Wilmington, Woodford and
Woodstock.