BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Martin County Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills says the FEMA home buyout program can move residents out of the flood and onto higher ground.

“This program’s whole mission is to get residents who have been flooded to higher ground,” Mills said. “It is for people who feel trapped—because no one wants to buy a house that gets flooded—and they just can’t keep going through this over and over. This is the program for them.”

Mills urges anyone in the February flood, the 2022 flood, or any in between, to sign up at the disaster recovery center in the old Martin County Library in Inez. She reminds residents that April 25 is the deadline to register for disaster assistance.

On Friday, Mills hosted FEMA representatives and a group of about 18 residents at the Martin County Government Center. FEMA conducted a question and answer session and signed up homeowners for the program.

Mills stresses that homeowners can withdraw from the program at any time.

“You can sign up and then back out at any time, even if you go through the whole process and are at the very end,” Mills said.

“After you fill out your paperwork, within a couple of weeks FEMA will send a team out just to drive by and confirm that you’re in the floodplain. Then they’ll do an assessment.”

To determine a property’s value, FEMA begins with the PVA appraisal. Mills noted that appraisal will be “about half, if not a quarter, of what your property value is.”

“FEMA will assess your property and seek approval for funds. Once FEMA gets approval, they’ll send out an appraiser to ensure you’re getting fair market value,” she said.

“Since we’re a distressed housing market, they’ll add $31,000 on top of that appraisal to compensate for that.”

Some residents raised concerns about whether the buyout includes furnishings or appliances. Mills clarified that the buyout only includes the property, the home, and permanent fixtures such as windows.

“Whatever you would sell to any buyer is what you would leave,” she said.

Once FEMA completes the preliminary steps, it will present the property to the county. In turn, the county will apply for funds on behalf of participating homeowners.

FEMA typically covers 75% of the buyout cost, while the state covers 13% and the county covers 12%.

“The local match has been waived almost every time, but there could be a 12% match required from the county,” Mills said. “That could be matched in kind.”

If the county participates, it will own the land, ensuring cleanup of the property and limiting its use to green space.

“You could build a soccer field or parks, but people can’t move back on it,” Mills said.

The program typically takes between six months and one year to complete.

Participants do not have to remain in Martin County after selling their homes. However, Mills noted the county is actively pursuing affordable housing options in hopes of giving residents an opportunity to stay.

“It’s our goal that people stay here with their families, but it is not an obligation,” she said.