Eight properties in unincorporated areas of Sioux County remain in the FEMA home buyout process nearly two years after devastating flooding struck Northwest Iowa.
According to Sioux County Supervisor Craig Hoftyzer, the eight properties that have applied for the program have a combined value of just under $3 million. Most of the properties are located near Rock Valley, with one property near Alton.
Hoftyzer says the county continues to wait for final approval from FEMA before the buyouts can move forward.
“It’s just a matter of it going through the FEMA backlog and the proper approval process and just getting the green light to say, ‘Yeah, go ahead and pay those people out.'”
Waiting for Answers
The rural buyout program is separate from the much larger buyout effort underway in Rock Valley, where approximately 140 to 150 properties have been involved in the process.
For the unincorporated properties, FEMA is expected to cover 75% of the costs, Iowa Homeland Security would cover 10%, and Sioux County would be responsible for the remaining 15%.
Hoftyzer says the lengthy process has been difficult for the affected property owners.
“It’s been quite frustrating that we’re two years down the road here, and all he hears from the people that he deals with is that we’re getting closer. We’re getting closer.”
Once approvals are finalized and properties are purchased, the county will begin the cleanup process on those sites as required under the program.
While the rural program is significantly smaller than the one in Rock Valley, Hoftyzer says the uncertainty has still been challenging for the property owners involved.
“To those homeowners and property owners, it’s still frustrating and hard to wait.”
County officials say they continue to work through FEMA’s approval process and remain hopeful the buyouts will receive final authorization in the near future.
