Published: July 12, 2008 10:37 pm            

Vigo County residents running into roadblocks when trying to make flood repairs

TERRE HAUTE — When Donna and Ashley Mansard’s Southwood home flooded June 7, the family knew they would incur considerable expense to reconstruct and refurnish the home’s interior.

But they never envisioned they also might have to elevate their home to comply with the county’s floodplain ordinance.

They live in a flood hazard area, and because of the amount of damage, they must build 2 feet above the 100-year flood level.

For them, that means elevating their home 4 to 41⁄2 feet, based on how much water was in their home.

They can’t obtain a county building permit until they show the Vigo County Area Planning Department their plan to elevate their home.

They’ve already spent a lot of money stripping down the interior to prepare for repairs and rebuilding. Now, they have to hire a surveyor.

To make matters worse, they can’t find local contractors who want to take on the difficult task — and potential liability — of elevating the home, which sits on a concrete slab.

The Mansards question why government officials haven’t notified the public, through the media, about the process that must be followed.

Only after extensive research did they realize they had to go to area planning, only to find out they could not obtain a building permit.

If they had known from the start what steps to take, it might have saved them some money. It also would have given them an opportunity to decide if they wanted to invest that much money in the home — or relocate.

“I find it very sad that local government didn’t share this information with the public” immediately after the flooding occurred, Donna Mansard said.

The Mansards have flood insurance, and they also will be eligible for additional coverage — up to $30,000 — to elevate their home, but that will not cover all the costs.

“We want to share what we’ve learned with other people whose homes have flooded,” Mansard said. If people live in the county and plan to rebuild their homes, the first step is to go to area planning to begin the process of securing a building permit.

Jeremy Weir, executive director of the Vigo County Area Planning Department, had no comment in reaction to Mansard’s criticism about lack of public notification.

The department plans to notify about 70 county residents who also may encounter the added requirements the Mansards face in elevating their home — a costly proposition.

The department urges anyone in unincorporated areas of the county who experienced flood damage to visit the department in the county annex at 159 Oak St.

That’s the first step in securing a county building permit.

The purpose is to verify that they are in compliance with floodplain regulations, Weir said.

If a home is in a floodplain and has been “substantially damaged,” it has to be brought into compliance with floodplain regulations, Weir said.

That means that the lowest floor has to be two feet above the 100-year flood level, he said. Homes in the floodplain have a significant risk of flooding, he said.

“Substantial damage” occurs when restoring the house would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the building before the damage occurred, according to a letter written by Weir.

“We have a lot of homes built in the 1950s and 1960s before floodplain regulations were implemented” in the city and unincorporated areas of Vigo County, Weir said.

At least eight people have visited area planning so far.

Flood insurance policyholders can qualify for up to $30,000 of “increased cost of compliance coverage” to help with the additional cost of elevating their home, according to a FEMA brochure.

For more information, people should contact their insurance companies and area planning, Weir said.

If those residents identified don’t make the necessary improvements and elevate their homes, they run the risk of not being eligible for certain types of federal assistance if their homes flood in the future, Weir said.

Also, annual flood insurance premiums “could increase to thousands of dollars,” according to a FEMA brochure on the National Flood Insurance program.

Donna Mansard said her family also has been made aware that if people remodel without a building permit, there are other possible consequences. It could be noted on a homeowners abstract that a home was remodeled illegally, which could cause problems in obtaining flood or homeowners insurance in the future.

The homeowner and contractor could be fined, she said.

FEMA has several brochures available to residents who face the prospect of having to elevate their homes.

The information can be obtained at the Disaster Recovery Center at Booker T. Washington Park Community Center.

The brochures include “Answers to Questions about Substantially Damaged Buildings”; “Above the Flood: Elevating Your Floodprone House”; and “Increased Cost of Compliance Coverage.”

In the bigger picture, if the county doesn’t enforce the floodplain ordinance, its ability to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program could be affected, Weir said.

Weir acknowledged that if flooded homes are so damaged that owners must elevate their homes, area planning will not issue an improvement location permit — the first step before the homeowner can obtain a building permit.

“We won’t issue an improvement location permit until they come in with plans showing how they will elevate their structure,” he said.

For now, the Mansards are still working their way through the system, seeing what types of assistance are available and weighing their options.

They might decide to apply for a Small Business Administration loan to relocate to a new home.

When and if they’ll ever be able to return to their Southwood home is a huge question mark.

“We don’t know when we’ll be back, if ever,” Donna Mansard said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.