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approved. McGovern was able 10 ammge for Excelsior Springs 10 borrow money to begin the buyout process. Most people who had lost or seen their homes damaged in August and SepIember were willing 10 apply. A few hold ouIs were convinced to join when in April. 1994. anoIher Ilash flood crashed through the cemer of town. and devasIated the same area once more.12 Initially, some of the home- owners were suspicious. Some ques- tioned the wording of an informational letter McGovern had sent explaining the buyout program. They were disIurbed by a statemenI that said a homeowner's future use of Ihe property could be compromised if their home had received greater than 50% damage in lasI year. s Ilood. Of course this only meant IhaI it would be difficult 10 live in such a home, not that the governmem was using Ihe 50% damage mark to force people out. At an AuguSI 7 meeting, McGovern stressed the voluntary naturc of the buyout program. At the same lime she clearly slated the obvious, Ihat damaged "homes would probably not find [other] buyers... because Ihey are in the Iloodplain...'. It was possible she said that if they did not take advantage of the offer "they could lose their emire investmenr"' and would evemually have 10 "just walk away from a home.'. She reassured Ihe owners IhaI Ihe damage eSIimaIes to their homes were done by Ihe local fire department, and that Ihose who sIayed in Ihe area would have 10 raise their homes above the usual level of a Ilood. Another group of homeown- ers had heard rumors that money had been received in May and were angry because it had not been disIribuIed. Obviously this rumor was related to Ihe May approval of the grant; no money had. aIIhis point, been received. Excelsior Springs Buyout Property flooded in 1998 floods (photo by Liz Roll of FEMA). McGovern also told her audi- ence that 12 homeowners had ex- pressed interest and Ihree had gone so far as to request appraisals. Further- more. one family had already closed the deal for Ihe bUYOUI the day before. t3 The bUYOUI program soon gained momenIum in Excelsior Springs. On AuguSI 16. the CiIy Council approved a new application for a $360,000 grant to assist property owners who had been Ilooded ouI and who wanted to move out of the /lood- plain. This was supplemental to the earlier approved funds and was made 10 Ihe Missouri Housing Development Commission. Its goal was to provide gap financing, or the difference be- Iween what a family received from the buyout and the price of a replacement home. At Ihe same meeting, Ihe Council took comrol of IwO properties sold in Ihe buyout program.t4 From Ihat point Ihe progTam look off, and subsequenI issues of the Daily Standard listed house atier house -frequenIly wiIh pictures-being 10m down by wreckers. t5 An article in the January 16. 1995, issue ofIhe Dailv SIandard reported that a total of $1.8 million had been approved at stale and federal levels. The article also said thaI more than 70 properties had been purchased. with 14 already demol- ished. The article granted the process was slow "given Ihe necessary paper- work, like appraisals and title work, yet the tone of Ihe article was positive.'. A deIailed article appears in the Daily Standard on May 8. 1996. under the Iitle "Flood buyout program about to end.'. The article, written by Gene Hanson. who had done some of the first reporting on Ihe /lood and the buyout. gave a detailed breakdown of the money spenI so far to move 78 families out of the /loodplain. It listed Ihe total amount spenI so far as: $1.190.583 spem for acquisition of sites, $199.349 spent for demoliIion. relocaIion costs of SI56,985. title work $14,122, ap- praisals $2,650. administrative cosIs 552,657. and National Flood Insur- ance Program refunds at $3,180. FEMA through Missouri's State Emergency Managemem Agency supplied 5897.000 for Ihe program and communiIy developmem block granIs provided Ihe remainder. SEMA officially lisIed the buyout projecI closed on October 6, 1996. The "payoff' for this buyout project came during the first week of OcIober, 1998, when Excelsior Springs suffered anoIher Ilash Ilood. This time only Iwo residences were at risk instead of more than 70 IhaI had stood in the area in 1993. Using the amount of water in the basemenI of City Hall as a guide, AssistanI City Manager Molly McGovern estimaIed that the latest /lood and Ihe one in 1993 involved roughly the same amounI of water. Obviously the buyout program had once again proved to be effecIive.t6 Page 31