A year after 2013 flood, families waiting, hoping for mortgage relief
By Erica Meltzer, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. | |
The once-carefully tended gardens are a stark debris field littered with massive boulders and uprooted trees.
The "lodge" -- where
And then early in the morning of
"We probably will never live there again, and probably no one ever should,"
Including
The program provides up to 15 percent of the amount
The purchase price is based on an appraisal of the pre-flood value. The land must remain in public hands and be managed as open space for flood mitigation.
Local jurisdictions sent their applications to the state last week. And now they wait.
Waiting game
No one knows how long it will take for
Everyone agrees there won't be enough to buy all the eligible properties.
The
"They're not guaranteed at all," said
Another 30 to 35 homes, with a pre-flood assessed value of roughly
That program has broader criteria. It only requires that the home be impacted by the flood, meaning homes outside the flood plain that were damaged by mud slides qualify.
'What is going to happen with this house?'
They don't qualify for the
Getting a buyout would be a huge relief,
"It would make a huge difference to get out from under that," she said. "It's a constant in our lives. What is going to happen with this house? What is going to happen with this mortgage? Nothing can happen until the last effort is expended."
But there is essentially no chance that the McCroskeys will have any money from the federal government in time to meet their obligation.
Of the
Some of the applicants had no flood insurance because they weren't in a mapped flood plain. Many of the smaller tributaries in the mountains are not mapped.
Others were in a flood plain and had insurance but are now in the floodway, where new building is not allowed.
Many people with substantial damage received insurance settlements that treated the home as if it could be repaired, but insurance doesn't cover septic systems, which can cost
"The homes are substantially damaged," Shannon said. "They saw a lot of water come through. A lot of the homes, the property owners received other damage that their insurance won't pay for and is really difficult work to do. Restoring land that has been severely damaged is really difficult to do, and for a lot of people, it's too emotional. They're just not capable of dealing with that."
But Mayes, 59, said her retirement is on hold indefinitely, unless the government can buy her property.
"I've been working since I was 14," she said. "I would like to have a few years to enjoy some things besides getting up and going into the office."
'We can't pay the mortgage'
Mayes' former neighbors,
When she got the evacuation call, she began to gather things, but when she opened the door to the garage, the cars were floating.
She and the two girls pushed through waist-deep rushing water and climbed to safety. They didn't even lose their cats.
But now the Caseys are making mortgage payments on a house that was carted away this spring as a debris hazard while paying rent on a temporary home in
"We are really hoping for a buyout because our life savings is in it, and we can't pay the mortgage and our rent and rebuild,"
The Caseys also invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours in clearing the property and improving the home.
In the rock-strewn remains late last month, they saw that a golden Buddha statue that had survived the flood high on the bluff was gone. It had been a symbol of resilience to the Caseys. Looters have been a constant problem, and now it appeared they had come for the Buddha.
"I'm so tired of this,"
Even after everything, she said that if there were a way to rebuild safely on her old house site, she would. But there isn't.
"I still love the water, but we're looking for places that have an escape route," she said.
Public benefit
The
"There is a broader public benefit," she said. "
The program also reduces repetitive losses to the National Flood Insurance Program.
The city of
Because the
Gilbert said that in some cases neighbors have bought flood-damaged property just to have as additional open space around their homes, and selling on the private market can be a better option for some homeowners.
'There would be financial devastation'
In
Mayor
"We need to determine what that means for our community, what that means to lose that many homes, if we -- and how we -- go about replacing those properties and what that means if we don't," she said. "We're going to look at that in terms of our long-term recovery process."
Dennett, the
Some of the families who applied are still making mortgage payments on uninhabitable homes.
"There would be financial devastation if it weren't for this program," Schoedinger said.
Some families have not been happy with their appraisals. Property owners can get a third appraisal on their own dime, and that number is averaged with the other two appraisals. But there is no negotiating on the price.
"Financially, with the uncertainty, it's really difficult," Schoedinger said. "There are also volunteers (such as Mennonite Disaster Service) who have access to funding now for repairs and new construction. People will have waited all this time when they could have done something else."
He had flood insurance, but it all went to the bank. LoSasso said
To rebuild in compliance with floodway regulations, he would have to elevate the house 11 feet.
"I'm not going to build a house on pylons in
The waiting is hard, LoSasso said, but he has no other options.
"I took it because we were on the creek, but now the property is on the floodway," he said. "
LoSasso said he has it easier than other
"I really feel for people who had 30 Thanksgivings in their house," he said. "We didn't have the emotional attachment."
'I used to live here'
At the Mayes' home outside
"Must be all that water,"
And there are still maple and spruce trees that she planted.
Her voice was clear and her tone unsentimental through most of her conversation, but at this idea, her voice cracked a little.
"I would love nothing more than to go sit down on that property several years from now and have a picnic lunch under the maple tree that I planted and say, 'I used to live here,'" she said. "I loved it, and now a lot of other people can enjoy it, too."
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