WEBSTER GROVES — Webster Groves has decided against seeking buyouts for at least two houses that were substantially damaged in the 2022 flash floods, rejecting a readymade arrangement in which FEMA had pledged to pay 75% of the buyout costs.
The City Council and Mayor Laura Arnold last week voted 5-2 against pursuing buyouts for two flood-damaged properties near Deer Creek, where the main floors were swamped by several feet of water — one on East Pacific Avenue, and one on Kuhlman Lane. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency would cover most of the expenses, Webster Groves was set to cover the balance of between $79,000 and $95,000, including demolition costs.
Flood risk experts and some residents in Webster Groves and other local areas pounded by flooding have long and desperately hoped for property buyouts to materialize, even though very few end up being eligible for what little government help or funding is available.
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But now, Webster Groves has shut the door on buyouts, even where it had seemed like a possible or even likely outcome. The city had winnowed its list of buyout candidates to a small handful of houses, and FEMA had identified them as high priority structures that face steep risks of repeated damage and committed to funding most of the buyouts.
Webster Groves officials were not immediately available for an interview Monday. But in a lengthy discussion at last week’s meeting, city officials acknowledged that the properties had cleared a very “high bar†for buyout consideration. In the end, though, they balked at spending public money on buyouts and expressed worries about establishing a precedent, with some noting that the homes were known to be in a floodplain at the time they were purchased.
“Given my own personal opinion, I’d buy these people out in a heartbeat,†said Arnold. “But it’s not my money to spend.â€
She and some councilmembers entertained the possibility of putting the matter to a public vote on a future ballot, through a potential referendum that asks if some city revenue should be designated for flood buyouts.
Some at the meeting, however, urged the city to act now by accepting FEMA’s offer of significant financial help. Others said that the buildings would be razed, and the land could be used to make surrounding areas safer from flooding.
Several city leaders cautioned that, thanks to more volatile extremes wrought by climate change, local flood risks will be magnified, moving forward.
“This is going to happen again, and the risk is going to always be there,†said Councilmember Pam Bliss, who voted in favor of the buyouts. “And it’s going to be more expensive later.â€
The council also decided not to pursue buyouts for two other substantially damaged properties, with FEMA pledging to pay 75%, though action on those two was never put to a formal vote.