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<br /> <br />Engineer, Bob Williamson. inspected <br />homes in the Bear Creek area between <br />Collier Street and Woodrow A venue, <br />he found 100 homes that had been <br />flooded for more than a week,s <br />Williamson made a later appraisal of <br />flood damage and found Ihat 77 of <br />these homes needed to be con- <br />demned.9 <br /> <br />Over 400 people who had <br />Ii ved in other inundated sIructures <br />were forced to tind emergency <br />shelter. returning to their homes <br />would require extensive repaiLlo <br />Before the !lood, ciIy ordinances had <br />been in effect Ihat required residents <br />forced by a flood to evacuate Iheir <br />homes and to raise their foundations <br />above Ihe 100 year !lood mark, if <br />those homes had susIained damage of <br />more Ihan 50%. Most of the homes <br />along Bear Creek had. I I For many of <br />these people. the buyOUI program <br />would be a godsend. <br /> <br />The number of homes dam- <br />aged in Hannibal was so large, thaI <br />stale govemmenI moved quickly 10 <br />offer help through the buyout pro- <br />gram. On December 10, 1993, <br />Governor Carnahan. s office an- <br />nounced that Hannibal could get as <br />much as $1.5 million through a <br />hazard mitigaIion granI from SEMA <br />and a community development block <br />grant from the Department of Eco- <br />nomic Development to buy flood <br />damaged homes, if the owners would <br />sign the property over 10 the city and <br />move out of the floodplain. <br /> <br />Hannibal's Mayor, Richard <br />Schwartz, was supportive of the <br />program. He felt the buyout could <br />"immunize the community from fuIure <br />destrucIion,'.12 The Mayor hoped that <br />as many as 200 families would relocate <br />ouI of the Bear Creek area. 13 <br /> <br />Because of the historical sig- <br />nificance of Hannibal. the Depart- <br /> <br />menI of Natural Resources had 10 <br />sIudy the condemned homes. but <br />only a few of the Bear Creek houses <br />were historically significant, and the <br />buyout program continued without <br />significant delays. Williamson and <br />city officials disIributed quesIion- <br />naires, held meetings, and explained <br />the process to homeowners. <br /> <br />The conditions were the same <br />in Hannibal as for so many other <br />Missouri towns. Homes were pur- <br />chased aI their fair market, pre-!lood <br />value. The dollar amount given Ihe <br />homeowner at closing had deduCIed <br />from iI any previous federal insurance <br />payments and emergency advances <br />for temporary repairs. The city <br />received Iitle to the land wiIh the <br />stipulation thaI no dwellings or <br />business buildings could be built <br />Ihere in Ihe future. <br /> <br />Bob Williamson also applied <br />for more money, and in April. 1995, <br />Hannibal received word that an <br />additional $376,000 was coming <br />from SEMA to add to the block grant <br />money. The money meant that <br />Hannibal could buy addiIional prop- <br />erty, and Williamson added 25 <br />addiIional properties 10 the 80 the city <br />had originally designated for the <br />buyoul.J4 <br /> <br />By April 18. the city had <br />finished negotiations and paid for 14 <br />flood damaged homes. and was <br />negoIiating for 10 more. IS These <br />homes were purchased with the <br />block grant money. On May 21, <br />however Hannibal used some of the <br />SEMA money to buy five more <br />homes. These payments were deliv- <br />ered to the owners on the sIeps of <br />CiIy Hall with Representative <br />Volkmer handing checks to each <br />owner collecIively tOIaling S42.600. <br />At IhaI time. Bob Williamson <br />estimated the city would buy 38 <br />more homes by June 3.16 <br /> <br />The closing on houses con- <br />tinued until January 23. 1996, by <br />which lime Hannibal had purchased <br />116 properties. I? By thar time. <br />Hannibal had experienced another <br />flood when in 1995 the Mississippi <br />River and Bear Creek once more <br />overflowed their banks. This time, as <br />had happened in so many other <br />Missouri towns. no people were <br />dri ven out of their homes, and no <br />homes were ruined. The people had <br />moved 10 higher ground and the <br />houses had been bulldozed down. IS <br /> <br /> <br />Hannibal has plans for Ihe <br />land thaI had once been vulnerable <br />!loodplain housing. On 7th SIreet, near <br />Bear Creek, Hannibal has jusI closed <br />the city dump thaI operated Ihere since <br />1995. The land will be raised seven <br />inches to gel it above the usual Ilood <br />level. and then three soccer tields and <br />six basketball courts will be buill with <br />accompanying parking lots and <br />resIroom facilities. Soccer has recently <br />become popular in Hannibal among <br />the young, and the land Ihat once was a <br />burden. can now be an asset. <br /> <br />Along the riverfront, in front <br />of the levee that saved the Iown, the <br />eiIy acquired more lots with the <br />buyout program. The city will use <br />the land 10 build a public recreational <br />trailer park/campground where tour- <br />ists can stay while participating in <br />the National Tom Sawyer Days <br />Festival that runs from July 1-4 <br />every year. Hannibal's normal popu- <br />laIion of 18.000 swells to nearly <br />90.000. as people come to watch or <br />participare in fence painting and frog <br />jumping contesIs. buy crafIs. tour <br />hisIoric homes. and walch or partici- <br />pale in the Tom Sawyer/Becky <br />Thatcher conteSl.J9 Once this projecI <br />is compleIed and the trai ler park/ <br />campground is finished. land that <br />once cost the CiIy of Hannibal and <br />Ihe State of Missouri money. will <br />generaIe dollars instead. <br /> <br />Page 33 <br />