SAND SPRINGS, OK (KJRH) — Tulsa County officials talked with Town and Country homeowners for two hours about a possible FEMA home buyout program. The program would reimburse costs to fix homes, and buy the property, but only for homes within the 100-year floodplain.
Officials stayed to answer all questions from the crowd, vowing to continue their tireless work with families and keep them updaed as the process continues.
If the buyout program happens, FEMA would eventually demolish the structure, and not allow anything to be built there again. The problem is, for families like Sean Anderson's, it could be years before they even find out if FEMA will award them the program.
“I don’t know if we can stop the process and wait two years to see if the buyout is even going to happen,” Anderson said.
To add to the dilemma, neighbors could learn within two weeks if they have to elevate their homes. That means they could go through an expensive rebuilding and remodeling process, and hope there’s a buyout to reimburse them, or try to sell the home and hope someone will buy.
“We’re just stuck between a rock and a hard place," Anderson said, "we’re out there in the middle of no man’s land.”
Tulsa Emergency Management says thanks to work by volunteers and families, the muck-out process is 70% complete. For now, families are finishing preparing their homes for the next step, and trying to get their questions answered.
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