PARSONS – Parsons elected officials and residents were excited for the receipt of a grant through the W.Va. Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management for $312,754 that will be used to elevate five Parsons residences, moving them above the flood plain. Local residents Okey and Mary Moore said they are thankful their home will be one the five homes helped through this grant.
Okey and Mary Moore, of Parsons, will have their home elevated thanks to a grant for five properties to be elevated.
“They are going to elevate our home about five or six feet off the ground,” Okey Moore said. “The hope is if it floods again, we will be out of the flood zone.”
The Moores said they installed new carpeting in their home in April 1996 and it flooded in May 1996.
“We lived here in 1985 during the flood and had 7 feet, 3.5 inches of water inside our home then,” the Moores said. “We lost everything inside our home during the 1985 flood.”
The Moores said they believe raising their home will help not only with flooding, but will lower the cost of their flood insurance.
The mitigation or elevation of five homes is slated to begin in the spring. In February, those having their homes raised will have a meeting this month to learn more about what they need to do before the construction begins.
“At the meeting, we hope to learn about the things we will need to do, what not to do and what to expect,” Mary Moore said. “When they do that, they said we would probably only need to take down our pictures in our home. The gentleman from the construction company said we should be back into our homes in about three days.”
Funds in the amount of $312,754 were awarded to Parsons for the Parsons/Pulp Mill Bottom Elevation project for five properties. Funds came through the W.Va. Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management. Hazard Mitigation Project Officer Brian Penix explains that the homes will be lifted above the base flood elevation and bring them into compliance with flood plain ordinances.
Penix said this is the first time in nearly three years this type of project has been conducted.
“They lift the homes and put cribbing underneath and build up the foundation,” Penix said. “It helps homeowners get out of the flood water and helps lower their flood insurance costs.”
“The project began in 2010 when some Parsons residents came to us after the Derecho,” Myers said. “This is where the money came from. When a disaster is declared in the state, funds are set aside for hazard mitigation grants. That is where these funds come from.”
Myers said the city went to bat for residents who were interested in elevation.
“We set guidelines and took applications,” Myers said. “We started with 11 applications for the elevation project which qualified, and one dropped out. We had a meeting with the mitigation manager. We had a feasibility study for the 10 homes, and we knew if it were feasible to raise these homes.”
Myers said after the meetings, those eligible were pared down to seven. These applications were sent to FEMA and two of the homes were deemed not eligible for the project.
In February, FEMA will meet with the five families to discuss what to expect.
“When this is bid out, the bidder will know how many blocks he will need, how many feet of sewer line is needed, how much water line is needed, how much lumber is needed,” Myers said. “The bid will be per quantity and how many hours it will take to complete each project.”
Myers said once the lifting of the home is completed, they will be 100 percent in compliance with the flood plain ordinance. “They will be two feet above the base flood elevation.”
“This is a project we have been working on for a while,” Myers said. “We hope it is successful. We have other people who are signed up for the next round if we do it again and if the project is successful. We are the model, and our success will determine if this project will be repeated throughout the state.”
Parsons Mayor Dorothy Judy said they want people to be happy and safe.
“We are audited by FEMA and must follow the rules,” Judy said. “We were applauded for our efforts in the past.”
Myers said applications for flood mitigation do not go directly through FEMA, but are initiated by local government. He said the city is constantly looking for ways to help its residents because a majority live in the flood plain.
