by Kathy Foster
Washington County FEMA Coordinator Kevin Parker led off Thursday’s Workshop held by the Washington County Board of County Commissioners thanking the board members for the ‘Buy Out’ program meeting hosted Wednesday evening at the Governmental Complex in Chipley.
He said the well attended meeting began to give interested county residents information about the program.
FEMA says millions of people enjoy living near the water, but few people actually want to live in it.
When a property or a neighborhood experiences repeated flooding, costs for the property owner, the community and the state can escalate rapidly.
Flooding may impact the stability of a home or an entire neighborhood, damage or destroy personal property, impact property values and lead to injuries or loss of life. Emergency responders may risk their own lives to help residents escape rising waters.
And while the waters eventually recede, the misery caused by floods is long lasting. The impact of a storm surge may have structurally weakened formerly sturdy homes. Water-laden walls and floors may set the stage for the development of hard-to-eradicate colonies of mold that can present health risks for vulnerable residents, particularly those with compromised immune systems, children and the elderly. Repeated flooding may leave homes uninhabitable and unlikely to attract a buyer.
For all of these reasons, states and federal governments have acted to intervene in this cycle of decline by offering voluntary buyout programs to homeowners in neighborhoods that have been subject to repeated flooding.
For more information about what FEMA is offering locally, contact the Washington County Administrator Jess Massey at 850-638-6200.
In a Special Board meeting, prior to a Workshop Session commissioners approved a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Amendment for property located at 2838-2878 Woodymarion Drive from Agriculture to LowDenisty, to allow placement of a single family home.
During the Workshop portion of Thursday’s session placed the following items on the agenda for their Nov. 21st regular monthly meeting:
- Year End Budget Amendment for 2018-2019
- DOE Rural Infrastructure Grant
- 2020 Board Schedule
- 2020 Holiday Schedule
- Liaison Appointments
Also, the following items will be heard by commissioners at the Nov. 21st meeting:
- Updates requested for the Employee handbook
- 2nd Amendment Sanctuary issue
- Purchase of five inmate vans
As part of the Workshop the County’s Public Works Director reported that the department is in the process of removing a number of beaver dams and that no culvert damage had been found on the Alford Road bridge, but some “shoulder work” was required.
The County’s engineer reported that Washington County will be taking bids for roof repair at the Ag Center on Dec. 19th. He estimated the project would run betweeen $425,00 and $475,000. Commissioners are also looking at the cost of putting a temporary cover on the existing roof since they don’t expect the new roof will be in place until a much later date.