Residents of the Masonic subdivision in East Columbus listened to Mississippi Emergency Management officials with frustration and cautious interest Thursday night as they explored a flood mitigation program which would not alleviate their problems but could offer escape.
Nearly four dozen people attended the meeting, which was held jointly by officials from MEMA and the city of Columbus at the Trotter Convention Center.
The subdivision, located off Tuscaloosa Road, is inundated with water when heavy rains cause the Magby Creek to rise. The city is trying to gauge residential interest in a federally funded program which would provide funds to either purchase homes at fair market value or elevate previously flooded structures.
Some longtime residents, like Kenny Goodman, said their homes flood nearly every time it rains. Goodman has lived on Lehmberg Road for 48 years, and he scoffed at the program, saying it would be cheaper for the governmental agencies to straighten the creek and clear it of debris than to purchase affected properties. He, and several other residents, left in the middle of the meeting.
But for others, like Linda and Jerry Darrell, the concept was worth at least consideration.
The Darrells have lived in Masonic subdivision since 1992, and they said they love their neighborhood. They feel safe taking nighttime strolls. They like their neighbors. They have made memories there.
Linda Darrell remembers when her father, who is now deceased, poured the concrete for her children”s basketball goal. The children wrote their names in the wet concrete. That”s an irreplaceable memory, she said.
As weary as they are of the flooding — a situation of which they say they were not aware when they purchased the house — they are equally wary of what the neighborhood will become if a majority of residents choose to take the city”s offer and move away.
Under the stipulations of state flood mitigation assistance, any structures the city purchases will have to be torn down and the land cleared as green space. Elevation would allow the homeowner or business owner to stay in their present location, but the structure would be raised above flood level.
However, due to the high cost of elevation, Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box said that option is not really feasible. Cleared lots could become community parks, but new homes could not be build there.
Residents will not be forced to participate in the program, and there is no minimum number of people who must apply. The deadline for the city to apply for funds is in December, and interested residents would need to submit the necessary documentation by November.
To be eligible, homeowners must have received a previous claims payment from the National Flood Insurance Program.
Box said many problems could be alleviated if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would allow the city to clear, dredge or realign the creek, but frequent requests have been denied. He said the flood-mitigation grant may be a viable option for some people.
“It”s a way to give people an opportunity to get out,” Box said. “This is to help people who just want to walk away from it and get out of there. We know it”s not a solution.”
Cynthia and Garrick Killingsworth were among more than a dozen people who raised their hands when asked if they were interested in possibly selling their home to the city. They”ve lived there since 2007, and their home flooded during heavy rains in February.
“There are houses that have been for sale there for years, and nobody”s buying,” Cynthia Killingsworth said.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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