Plymouth Township receives $2.5M PEMA grant to purchase homes

Feb. 22--PLYMOUTH TWP. -- Twenty-three property owners in Plymouth Township will no longer have to keep an eye on the river, fearing the next flood.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, along with the Department of Community and Economic Development, announced Tuesday that several communities will receive grants to acquire homes vulnerable to flooding or sinkholes.

Plymouth Township will receive $2.5 million to be used for the purchase of 23 homes on Mill, East Poplar, West Poplar, Canal and West Main streets.

Supervisor Gale Conrad said the grant announcement was news the township has been waiting to hear.

"We were told it could be any day," Conrad said. "This is fantastic. Floods are devastating. We hold our breath here every day."

Conrad said the last flood was in 2011 when the township's West Nanticoke section was again hit with high water. She said PEMA representatives met with affected residents in November to discuss the agency's plan.

PEMA and DCED said a total of 106 homeowners in six communities will have the opportunity to participate in the buyout program, using up to $8.3 million in disaster recovery funding.

"These grants provide communities with the opportunity to remove people and structures from harm's way in high-hazard areas, without having to pay for it entirely on their own," said PEMA Director Richard D. Flinn Jr. "We are happy to work with our state and federal partners to work on behalf of the impacted citizens of the commonwealth."

As part of the grant, once the properties are purchased, the homes will be demolished by the government. Conrad said the township will assume ownership, but the empty land can never be re-sold.

"As far as what the properties will be used for in the future, that's not even on our radar yet," Conrad said.

She said she spoke to Tom Hughes, PEMA's hazard mitigation officer, who told her that negotiations will begin soon with the property owners.

Conrad said the loss of tax revenue has already been offset since many new homes have been built in the township's higher-elevated areas.

"I'd say we have already recouped the taxes lost from the flooded properties," she said. "As far as taxes, we're OK. As far as the folks being bought out, we're confident they will be OK and will relocate to areas where they will never have to be flooded again."

Conrad said some longtime residents may end up living outside the township.

"Yes, that is sad. Some are up in age, and it's heartbreaking because some of them have never lived anywhere but in that home. With so many floods and so many repetitive losses to these same properties and people, (it's fortunate) we have not had any loss of life."

DCED Secretary Dennis Davin said ensuring that businesses and communities have opportunities to succeed and thrive is key to DCED's work.

"By contributing to these efforts we are aiding the movement of individuals away from potential harm -- both physical and financial," Davin said. "In doing so, we are also contributing to the overall, shared economic well-being of the commonwealth."

According to information provided by PEMA:

--PEMA will administer the funds directly with the municipal grant recipients.

--PEMA received 16 applications totaling more than $16 million in requests that were reviewed by the State Application Review Team.

--The scoring criteria included, but was not limited to, projects benefiting a low and moderate income neighborhood.

--Projects must be located in one of the five hardest-hit counties during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

--Eligible municipalities must be in good standing as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program.

--Each eligible municipality must prove the capability to meet all requirements to complete the projects in a timely manner.

PEMA staff will continue to work with DCED personnel to ensure an expedited process to move homeowners and tenants out of these high-risk areas, to restore the floodplain to its natural state, and to ensure the safety of those near areas vulnerable to sinkholes.

In September, Conrad said the township had lost about 75 residents since 2006 and more were expected to leave. Most recently, the township suffered flooding in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011.

"It's not a question of if we will have another flood -- it's a matter of when," she said in September, pointing to several vacant lots where homes and rental buildings once stood.

As in West Pittston to the north, Conrad said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deemed it financially unfeasible to construct dikes to protect the township and Shickshinny further south. The government said the cost to build the levee system far outweighed the value of the properties it would protect.

Conrad disputed the claim, which was made back in 2004, stating the frequency of floods, the increase in buyouts and the costs associated with the devastation have far outweighed what the cost of a levee system would have been.

"In hindsight, it would have been a lot cheaper to build the dikes," Conrad said. "And people would have been able to remain in the homes they love and have lived in for 40 or 50 years."

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