FARGO - Cass County is preparing to submit applications to get federal buyout money for 107 homes, officials said this morning.
County Engineer Keith Berndt says the applications for Flood Mitigation Assistance program involve homes that have flood insurance.
The applications will be broken up into bundles of about $5 million each, grouped by geographic area, then sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Berndt says.
Cass County is hoping to find funds to buy 140 homes in all, worth roughly $30 million, Berndt says.
There is about $25 million available in the FMA program for flood buyouts, the county's Flood Buyout Program Committee was told. However, the program is competitive.
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That's why Berndt says it's important to have the county's paperwork ready for the June 5 opening of the application period.
He told residents attending the meeting that the county should have an answer on funding 60 days after the applications are submitted.
Berndt says contractors will finish determining elevations of homes this weekend.
"The money is sitting there for people, like (those in) Cass County, that have done the right thing in terms of flood mitigation," County Administrator Bonnie Johnson says. "They're just waiting for it to hit their desks."
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