Nashville Home Buyouts to Start with More than 500 in Floodway

The Metro Planning Department has compiled a list of more than 3,000 homes in the 100 year flood plain which sustained damage in this month’s record-breaking storms. The owners have to meet certain criteria before they can begin to rebuild.

If the cost to repair a home in the flood plain is less than 50% of its value, a homeowner should have little trouble getting a permit. But if damage is beyond 50%, the city is using the opportunity to buy out homeowners – paying pre-flood appraisal values – and demolishing the property.

Scott Potter is director of Metro Water Services, which oversees storm water planning.

“The problem that we’re facing fundamentally is we didn’t have storm water management in the 50s and 60s and 70s, and that’s what most of the homes that were damaged were built before the rules were in place.”

More than 500 homes damaged by recent rains are in a so-called “floodway.” Potter says his goal is to remove those structures first, but each home will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

FEMA provides 75% of the funding to buy out flood-prone homes. State and local governments put up the rest. Metro Government budgets a million dollars in a typical year to for its share, but the city plans to move much more aggressively in the next few months.

Metro officials have planned rebuilding clinics for Saturday.

WEB EXTRA:

Metro officials have asked that homeowners make appointments for the rebuilding clinics by calling 862-6778.

Locations:

Grace Church of the Nazarene
2620 Pennington Bend Rd, Nashville, TN 37214

Mt. Zion Baptist Church
1112 Jefferson Street, Nashville, TN 37208

Bellevue Church of Christ
7401 Highway 70 South, Nashville, TN 37221

Antioch United Methodist
41 Tusculum Road, Antioch, TN 37013

Riverwood Church of Christ
1904 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37216

St. Luke’s Community House
5601 New York Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209

To see where your home falls on the flood maps, use this property search database.