Flooded-out family left floating in buyout program limbo

A month after Charles City neighborhoods were swamped by the Cedar River, some citizens are still reeling from the after effects of the flooding.

None, though, may be in a more difficult situation than Dan and Mya Hubert, whose home at 1304 Clark Street suffered significant damage from floodwaters. Since the first week following the flood, the Huberts have been living in a cramped trailer in their driveway and have placed their future hopes in Charles City on the possibility of a Federal Emergency Management Agency home buyout program.

Whether or not offers will be made to buy out homes remains an uncertainty.


For the Huberts, living life in a 38-foot trailer is a far cry from the comforts of their 1,900-square-foot, five-bedroom 1920s home that sits just yards away. They’ve realized that participating in a buyout program would be their best bet at returning to normalcy.

“We’re afraid to be here anymore,” Dan said. “We just can’t keep putting our lives out on the curb — we love this house, we just don’t love it that much.”

After flooding in 1999, the Huberts had the option of participating in a buyout program. Neighboring properties accepted the option, but Dan and Mya declined.



Now, they are regretting that decision.

“We had just bought the house in 1999 and it was a 100-year flood, so I just thought ‘We’ll stick it out,’” Dan said. “Of course we never realized that nine years later we would have water on our main level.”

In 1999, water spilled into the Huberts’ basement, but rose no further. This time around, almost a foot of water sat on top of the home’s main floor. Dan and Mya had to be evacuated from their home by boat.



In contrast to 1999, the couple can’t just clean up and move back in. After inspections, current damages to the home are more than 50 percent of its assessed value, leaving it in the “substantially damaged” category. That means repairs will have to coincide with modern building codes, and the home’s foundation would have to be raised so that the building is considered floodproofed. The requirements are from the National Flood Insurance Program, in which Charles City participates.

MidAmerican cut electricity and the home also is not hooked up to a gas source. To be able to have access to those utilities, repairs and alterations will need to be made to the home so that it is in compliance with applicable building codes.

Making those repairs and possibly raising the foundation are expenses that the Huberts aren’t willing to take on at this point. Because the damage to their home is so great, Dan said he hasn’t been able to even acquire the necessary permits.



“I took my Substantial Damage Assessment to the fire station and was told that no (building) permits would be issued on the property unless it’s brought above the floodplain,” said Dan.

Displaced by high water and an unfit living space, the Huberts spent the week and a half following the flood in a hotel, but when they realized their flood insurance wouldn’t pay for the stay, they had to leave. Fortunately, they were able to borrow the trailer from friends Brad and Renea Hawbaker and plug in to an electrical source at neighbors Dale Fisher and Sherri Hansen’s home.

“We’re stuck because we have a house we can’t live in with no electric or gas, we have to pay the mortgage and we can’t fix it because we can’t get permits,” Dan said.



After contacting city and FEMA officials, Dan said he was told that they were sorry, but that there was nothing that could be done immediately and that it may be 12-14 months before they would know if buyouts would be offered.

Charles City City Administrator Tom Brownlow acknowledged that it will take time before the city knows if it will participate in a buyout program. He added that city officials have been working with the Huberts to remedy their situation and have given them a recommended course of action.

It is a city council decision to participate in any home buyout program resulting from the flood. However, FEMA must first determine how much money will be available to the state of Iowa for all community buyout programs. The Huberts have also been in contact with Mark Kuhn of the Iowa House of Representatives, who recently toured the home and trailer.



In the meantime, the Huberts are determined to wait for a decision regarding buyouts.

“We don’t really have any other options,” Dan said.

Life in a temporary living situation has brought undue stress on Dan and Mya, Mya’s 16-year-old son Wesley and Dan’s daughter Maxine, 13.



Due to electrical limitations, the water heater and air conditioner can’t run at the same time in the trailer. There are no laundry facilities. They only eat meals that can be prepared on the grill of small range-top stove. Friends, family and co-workers have been a godsend for them, the couple said, offering laundry help, assistance in cleaning up, food and “many other things we all take for granted when we have a home.”

“It’s like you’ve lost your center of gravity,” Dan said. “We haven’t been eating right and we haven’t been sleeping right.”

Dan added that he plans on staying in Charles City, but needs to take care of his current home first.



“I would like to get a fair market price for my home like it says on the FEMA?Web site, and I’d like for the house to go to the city, be torn down and made into a park area like the lots next to me,” Dan said.

The Huberts said they realized that the city has to abide by National Flood Insurance Program regulations, but at the same time are frustrated because their living situation remains the same.

“I just can’t believe that I’m living in the situation I’m living in. I’ve lived here all my life, my wife and I both work here, we pay our taxes, we take care of our house. It’s just unfortunate,” Dan said.



Now that the Huberts have their Substantial Damage Assessment, they are eligible for extended rental assistance from FEMA. Their next step is finding a home to rent — which will be the third move in a month and a half — and they will be looking at a fourth move after the 12-14 month wait for a buyout program.

As of July 7, the City of Charles City has received inquiries from the owners of 42 owner-occupied properties, 20 residential rental properties, eight secondary properties and three commercial properties regarding a buyout program.

All funds FEMA sets aside for any buyout program must be used to reduce or eliminate losses from future disasters, which includes removing structures, but funds can also be used to elevate flood-prone homes or businesses.

In a buyout program, the purchase price for properties is based on their pre-flood fair market value. The cost of a buyout is shared on a federal, state and local level. The federal government typically will pay 75 percent of the cost, the state 10 percent and the remaining 15 percent will be paid locally or passed on to the individual.

Following the 1999 flood, the 15 percent share was assumed by the homeowner. Also, the amount paid for a property will be reduced by the amount of any payments from insurance or other assistance programs made towards the property.

Participation in a buyout is voluntary, on the part of the local government and the homeowner.

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