CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Residents in an area of Kanawha County that has experienced increased flooding in recent years could be eligible soon for a property buyout program.
The Kanawha County Commission has voted to apply for funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Recovery Buyout Program.
The program provides up to a 75-25 match with the USDA footing the bill for the larger split. The county commission has approved $500,000 to be used for its 25 percent match if its approved for the program.
Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said he learned about the program through an email from a Campbells Creek area resident who has been flooded out multiple times in recent years.
The woman also showed up at last week’s commission meeting.
Salango thanked her for her research and her emails.
“We appreciate you learning about the program and educating us about the program. Apparently it’s much more efficient than doing FEMA-type buyouts,” Salango said.
County staff said application has to made to the program within 60 days of the most recent flood, which happened two weeks ago. If approved, the county would use the money to buyout property owners, tear down the buildings on the properties, return them to their natural state and then maintain the properties. The county could lease the land to someone else but no buildings could be constructed.
Salango said he was impressed with the woman’s email.
“The thing that struck me about your email is that you talked about the number of times you’ve been flooded but then she said, ‘I’m not asking you for money, I’m asking you to do this for the community,'” Salango said. “I think you sent a second email as well and it’s spot on. This is something we can do.”
The Campbells Creek resident, who was not fully identified at the commission meeting, told the commission things have changed where she lives.
“It was not in a flood zone and it’s now in a very high-risk flood zone. A lot has changed, it’s multi-factorial,” she said. “You can’t point fingers but a lot of things have changed in the floodway,”
The woman said it’s becoming a dangerous situation for those living along Campbells Creek.
“It’s the displacement, the uncertainty. It kind of wreaks havoc on the kids,” she said. “There are a lot of people that just really need help of the erosion of the waterway and the management of that waterway to help get it cleaned up and safer.”
Salango said the county commission needs to make sure the program, if approved, is well-publicized.
“Let’s help these folks out,” he said.