BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County’s USDA Emergency Watershed Protection flood buyouts could begin closing within 60 to 90 days, according to county officials.
The Martin County Fiscal Court advanced the second reading of a $6.68 million budget amendment March 26 in a special meeting. Of that amount, roughly $6.3 million is tied to the buyout effort.
The funding will allow the county to begin the federally required work before acquiring properties under the voluntary program.
Following the amendment, county officials provided information about the program. Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills described the goal.
“The purpose of this program is straightforward: to provide a voluntary path for residents repeatedly impacted by flooding to relocate to safer ground while restoring flood-prone land to the natural floodplain,” Mills said.
The flood buyout funding package includes $5,720,334 in federal funds, $584,184 in state grant funds and about $11,000 in county funds.
Mills said the first round of funding will target 27 properties among the 107 property owners who signed up for the program.
Before any acquisitions can move forward, the county must complete a series of federally required steps, including appraisals, environmental reviews and title verification. The county will use $357,000 in “technical assistance” funding for that work.
“Based on USDA guidance, we anticipate the first closings could begin within approximately 60–90 days,” said Mills.
Officials have contacted all 27 homeowners in the first round. Once officials acquire the homes, demolition and floodplain restoration should begin within about three months, though USDA approvals could affect that timeline.
“USDA will provide demo plans for each house … and until we have begun to process these properties, we remain unclear exactly how long the federal approval process will take,” Mills explained.
She added that the county has a separate Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation application pending.
107 registered, 27 selected
A total of 107 property owners signed up for the flood buyout program, but only 27 properties made it to the first round.
County officials said the first round focused on three factors: risk to life from flash flooding, frequency of recent flood events, and proximity to other eligible properties, which would allow more efficient demolition and restoration work.
“Safety was the top consideration for eligibility,” Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty said. “Flash flooding is the deadliest form of flooding.”
Property owners not among the 27 remain in the program for automatic consideration in future rounds if the county secures more funding.
“No applicant has been removed from the program,” assured Lafferty.
First round clusters
Seventeen of the first 27 locations are in two downtown Inez clusters—Beatrice Loop and Newberry Lane. Nine others are on North Wolf Creek Road in Lovely: one near the mouth of Wolf Creek, a couple at Chapman Bottom, a couple in the Bailey curve, three in the Webbville area, and one near the mouth of Emily Creek. One is on Evans Place off Highway 292 in Lovely.
Lafferty said downtown Inez rose to the top because of repeated flash flooding and because the concentration of nearby properties would help the county stretch program dollars farther.
On Beatrice Loop, Lafferty said flash flooding forced residents from their homes seven times since 2019: Feb. 23, 2019; Feb. 28, 2021; May 6, 2022; July 28, 2022; Feb. 16, 2023; Feb. 15, 2025; and April 3, 2025.
“Yes, these homes were most prone to flash flooding with multiple events in recent years,” Lafferty said. “Flash flooding can rise several feet within minutes and poses the greatest danger to life.”
He added that Lovely and Warfield have already received substantial flood mitigation funding in past years.
“Dozens if not hundreds of homes have been raised,” Lafferty said.
According to the judge, USDA Emergency Watershed Protection guidelines require eligible structures to have been directly impacted by flooding from a creek or stream.
“Homes affected by hillside runoff or mudslides unfortunately did not qualify under the guidelines presented to our office,” he said.
Following the buyouts, the properties must forever remain open space land. Lafferty said the county hopes to “make the best use of these properties for community benefit,” including potential partnerships with the local agricultural extension service.
“The properties could be used to encourage natural habitats and other public benefits,” he said.
The list of 27 properties includes the following:
- 16 Beatrice Loop, Inez
- 85 Beatrice Loop, Inez
- 109 Beatrice Loop, Inez
- 121 Beatrice Loop, Inez
- 137 Beatrice Loop, Inez
- 15 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 34 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 54 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 78 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 85 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 95 New Berry Lane, Inez
- 97 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 99 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 113 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 127 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 138 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 143 Newberry Lane, Inez
- 4044 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 4132 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 4698 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 4716 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 2705 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 5634 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 5572 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 5734 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 5622 N. Wolf Creek Road, Lovely
- 235 Evans Place, Highway 292, Lovely