The Volusia County Council approved a plan to improve stormwater infrastructure and reduce flood risks, using $133.5 million of federal funds for Hurricane Milton recovery, some of which has been earmarked for home buyouts.
The sum was allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through its Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program.
The council’s action plan puts $80 million of the federal dollars toward long-term stormwater improvements and infrastructure upgrades, priorities the county has been managing with previous federal funding for ongoing Hurricane Ian recovery.
Public Information Officer Clay Jackson said the plan mainly focuses on the public’s priorities, such as protections to mitigate future flooding, better drainage, and assistance.
“We did citizen surveys, we did two public hearings, and community meetings where the residents were able to give their feedback on their priorities. They prioritized upgrading infrastructure, mitigation efforts for future storms, homeowner repairs and replacement for those who were damaged from the storm, and then, obviously, economic revitalization,” he said.
About $20 million dollars will go to voluntary buyouts for homeowners in high-risk flood zones, meaning places that consistently suffer unmanageable, even inhabitable flooding issues after storms. Purchased properties will be preserved as open space or restored to natural floodplains.
Another $20.2 million have been earmarked for repair and replacement to help low- to moderate-income residents rebuild storm-damaged homes. The action plan will be submitted to HUD for review and final approval. It is now part of the county’s Transform386 project, which includes a fervent response to the county residents’ years of cries for help with floods. “It outlines the survey results, the unmet needs ever found stemming from the storms, and what our community needs. Based on that, we put together the action plan,” Jackson said. “We're really trying to show the community that this is what we’re continuously doing.”
Residents want help
While part of the county plan looks to address widespread flooding issues, some residents are more interested in the buyouts part of the recent plan. That includes homeowners Pam and Mark Teator.
Last year, the couple left their home in North Carolina and used most of their savings to buy the 2-acre property on Volusia County land off East Taylor Road -- just weeks before Hurricane Milton hit. On Oct. 10, stormwater runoff surrounded their house, leaving three feet of water inside their home slowly receding, forcing them out for months.
The stress, heartbreak and anxiety, Pam Teator said, have affected their health, not just their finances -- and she said that the lack of communication from the county has only made it worse.
“It’s been a lot on us,” she said. “I don't even know what to do, you know. That's the thing that's got my stomach in knots.”
The Teators have paid a lot for repairs and modifications. Pam Teator said they’ve spent about $75,000, including more than $50,000 to build a berm around the property and move their septic tank, hoping to prevent another flood disaster as storm season approaches.
She said she worries that a county buyout offer won’t cover their losses or come in time before the next storm hits -- she said they’d need at least $825,000, at this point, just to break even.
“We can't. We cannot spend another dollar. I mean, we still got moving costs ahead on top of that,” Pam Teator said. “We're senior citizens, we’re retired, we’re on a fixed income now -- this is not money that we can afford to be losing.”
As part of a neighborhood board of residents appointed to help find solutions, Pam Teator said that what most upsets her is the lack of answers.
“We’ve been asking for a buyout because we knew it was the only way,” she said. “We love our home, but we understand that in order to take care of this flooding, we're going to have to lose our home.”
The county is waiting for HUD to publish the CDBG-DR program guidelines, which will include income eligibility requirements. Jackson said it’s too soon to address buyouts now but that more details could be expected by July or August if HUD has finalized the process by then.
Orange County is the only other county in Central Florida receiving HUD funding for Hurricane Milton recovery. Residents have until Thursday to provide public comments on the county’s proposed action plan.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
