BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Martin County is moving forward with an ambitious plan to buy out dozens of flood-prone homes, drawing on nearly $7 million in aid to help residents relocate from areas repeatedly hit by floods.

Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills announced that the county has received approval for a $5.7 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to purchase 27 properties affected by past flooding. The grant requires a 10% local match, for which the Fiscal Court adopted a resolution Oct. 23 and submitted a grant application to the Department for Local Government.

At the same time, Mills said the county is advancing a separate $1.44 million FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant to acquire seven homes identified as “top priority” because of their location in flood-prone zones. That award, she noted, comes with a 13% local match that the state has already committed to covering.

According to FEMA documents, the seven homes slated for the first round of buyouts are in the city limits of Inez—five on Beatrice Loop, one on Newberry Lane, and one on Rockcastle Road. Grant documents state the homes received damage during the February 2025 flooding event.

The larger USDA-funded effort covers 27 properties—17 in the city limits of Inez and 10 in Lovely. In Inez, the buyouts include five homes on Beatrice Loop and 12 on Newberry Lane. In Lovely, the buyout includes nine homes on Wolf Creek and one on Route 292.

“Our emergency management staff developed the list based on the frequency and severity of flooding events and the level of risk to each property,” Mills said. “The area identified as the ‘top priority’ has been impacted by flash flooding seven times since 2019.”

She added that the county intends to continue pursuing funding for other homeowners who wish to move to safer ground.

“We remain committed to securing additional support for residents who voluntarily want to relocate to higher, safer areas,” Mills said.

Once the county purchases the properties, they can only be used as green spaces.