McLean County is one of six Kentucky counties participating in a buyout program from the state and federal governments following April’s historic flooding.
The counties will share $118.2 million to purchase properties from Kentucky residents who voluntarily choose to sell.
A majority of the funding comes from the federal government’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state contributed $11.4 million as part of a cost-sharing requirement.
Twenty-four homes are considered eligible for buyout offers in McLean County, which recorded the worst flooding in 75 years.
Sharon Walker owns a rental home in the town of Rumsey on the Green River. The water rose to the kitchen countertops, displacing her tenant. Six months later, the home remains gutted. Walker is trying to decide whether to move the house, renovate and sell it, or take the voluntary buyout.
“I’ll be honest with you. With everything that we dealt with just this year, I don’t want to have to ever deal with it again," Walker told WKU Public Radio. "It’s not a matter of if it’s gonna happen again, it’s when.”
McLean County was also under a state of emergency from February flooding, which paled in comparison to April when, in some places, as much as 15 inches of rain fell over a five-day period in a storm system that resulted in seven fatalities statewide. Federal disaster declarations were declared for both events.
Major flood events also walloped McLean County in 1997 and 2011.
McLean County is expected to receive $2.3 million under the buyout. The program is supposed to pay homeowners the fair market value of their property and cover eligible relocation costs.
“Nobody should have to stay in a flood-prone area simply because it’s too expensive to move,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. “These buyouts will put money in the pockets of Kentuckians, keep our people safe and help our counties save money in the process.
Critics of the buyout argue McLean County will lose revenue from those who choose to sell and move out of the county and that local government will recoup the revenue by raising property taxes.
"It's not something you take lightly, but the alternative is we don't do the buyout, and based on the condition of some of these properties and the risk associated with these high-frequency flood properties, we were going to lose money anyway," said McLean Co. Judge-Executive Curtis Dame.
In the immediate aftermath of the flooding, more than 100 McLean County residents were displaced from their homes. According to Dame, about 30 individuals have not returned.
"We're starting to see individuals moving here from the Owensboro Metropolitan Daviess County area," he added. "That has offset the loss."
Still, McLean County suffers from a shortage of middle income housing and the buyout will only decrease the housing supply.
Houses in flood zones become property of the county, which is required to demolish the structures, clean up the debris, and level the lots. No homes can ever be built there again, but the land can be used for recreational purposes, pervious to water.
Dame says some of the options include an arboretum, dog park, or community garden.
“For mental health, getting people outside. During Covid, we saw an uptick in outdoor recreation here," Dame explained. "Maybe we come back from this better than we were.”
Statewide, about 600 individuals are considered eligible for the buyout, helping them relocate out of the floodplain. The other counties are Floyd, Knott, Letcher, Perry, and Pike.
