Gwinnett to Get Funds for Flooded Homes

Gwinnett County commissioners voted on Tuesday to accept a $2.1 million federal grant as well as $212,546 in state funds to purchase and demolish 11 homes damagaed in the 2009 floods. This will cover 85 percent of the cost. The remaining 15 percent will be picked up by the property owners. The properties will then become open greenspace to restore natural floodplain functions.
 
“No one wants to lose their home to flooding, but we know that hazardous floodplain elevations have increased in some places over time, making repeat damage more likely,” Lynn Smarr, acting director of the Department of Water Resources, said in a press release. “I’m pleased that now we can help these homeowners find housing outside the floodplain.”
 
These funds were made available through the Hazard Mitigation division of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to help break the cycle of damage in hazardous areas. The program was a result of a presidential declaration of disaster issued for the state of Georgia after the floods of September 2009.