FLOOD10331

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: A Primer for Hosting Buyout Workshops
• Date: 1/1/1994
• Prepared For: Association of State Floodplain Managers
• Prepared By: The Mitigation Assistance Corporation, Boulder, CO
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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A Primer for Hosting Buyout Workshops

Page 2

Local floodplain management ordinances in communities that participate in the National
Flood Insurance Program require substantially damaged structures within Special Flood
Hazard Areas to be elevated to at least the Base Flood Elevation or relocated to a site
outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area. Communities that do not participate in the
National Flood Insurance Program, but qualify for federal disaster assistance following a
flood, are required to join the National Flood Insurance Program as a condition of receiving
such assistance. Thus, they become subject to the same local requirements. Even in
communities where structures are not substantially damaged, or where the community does
not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, flood damage is often a repetitive
nuisance that becomes a barrier to other community or personal goals. In such cases,
elevation or relocation of structures offers a reasonable solution.

Communities wishing to explore these options often encounter problems that hinder, if not
halt, their efforts. These problems can be summarized by the following questions:

· How can buildings physically be elevated or relocated? Who knows how to do it?

· How much does elevation or relocation cost, and where and how can funding be
obtained?

· How long will such an effort take, and what happens to people, businesses, and
government in the interim?

· What other communities have undertaken such an effort? Who can I talk to that
can explain all the pros and cons of such a program?

· Is this level of effort going to be worth it?

Background Information on the Davenport Workshop
The idea for conducting a buyouts workshop originated in a post-flood recovery meeting
in St. Louis, Missouri in late August 1993. This was towards the end of the Great Midwest
Floods of 1993. This meeting was sponsored by the Association of State Floodplain
Managers and the Association of State Wetland Managers, with the objective of facilitating
the exchange of information between field professionals and policy-makers about recovery
needs, program opportunities, and long-term policy change. The meeting highlighted