Early on the morning of April 15, the 576 E. Front St., Owego home of Ken Henson sat on hydraulic jacks and steel beams. Later that day the home would be raised five feet for flood mitigation. (Photo by Rick Stilson)
Homeowner Ken Henson provided this picture, taken the day after floodwater rose in Owego in September of 2011. This is why he chose to elevate his home with the help of NY Rising. (Provided Photo)
From the left are homeowner Ken Henson, Owego Code Enforcement Officer James Mead and contractor John Henson. Mead was overseeing the elevation of Ken Henson’s 576 E. Front St. home, in the background. Mead said that Henson had hired the best in the business, and everything was progressing smoothly and safely with the home elevation. “I’d like to see 100 more do this,” Mead said. (Photo by Rick Stilson)
Ken Henson is actually raising his own home by an additional two feet in this picture. The two feet will allow workers to install the new foundation walls for the house to sit on. The machine he is engaging is a hydraulic controller for the several jacks under his home, which must work in unison to avoid damaging the home. (Photo by Rick Stilson)
With the fourth anniversary of the Flood of 2011 fast approaching, an Owego homeowner has become the first to have his home elevated. Kenneth and Lori Henson experienced terrible flooding in 2006 and again in 2011 – when five and a half feet of water inundated their first floor – and decided to elevate their 576 East Front St. home in Owego to prevent further damage.
The Henson’s contracted with L.D. Dexheimer & Son from Guilford, N.Y. to elevate their home five feet. Dexheimer was bought by Payne’s Cranes as it was about to go out of business when the last Dexheimer was retiring. Payne’s Cranes Vice President Gregg Eldridge is credited with the foresight to acquire Dexheimer, and to preserve its experienced crews. Some of the crew working on the Henson house had over 40 years of experience.
Eldridge said that the company, Payne’s Cranes, did six home raisings last year alone. The process is “pretty cut and dry,” Eldridge said of elevating homes, and takes about a week. With the house elevated, other crews come in and pour concrete walls for the home to be lowered back down on, Eldridge said. Ken Henson turned to his brother, owner of John M. Henson Contracting, for that work.
John Henson said that he had been involved in the work at his brother’s house [home of Kenneth and Lori Henson] since it began, and will be there until it’s finished. He’s turned to a number of local sub-contractors to do everything from electrical wiring, plumbing and pouring the concrete walls, meaning the majority of the work – everything but the actual raising – is done by local workers. While the elevation takes about a week, Henson said the entire process would take about 10 weeks, with a completion of his brother’s home expected by mid-June.
Eldridge said some of the common concerns from homeowners are whether or not the process will crack the walls of their home, and individualized questions about chimneys and other architectural features. With decades of experience across the Northeast behind them, Eldridge said there’s no risk of structural problems to the home, and details like chimneys are easily handled.
Village of Owego Mayor Kevin Millar was happy to see Henson’s home being elevated. “The further away from the flood we get, the easier it is to forget,” Millar said, adding, “The flood was almost four years ago, and people start to forget and put mitigation on the back burner.”
Millar said that 35 homes have been approved for elevation in the village, with 26 moving ahead with the process and nine close – perhaps being elevated during this construction season.
The bottom line for Henson was the assistance that the NY Rising program has given him. Henson started out with FEMA when he was considering elevating his home. With changes to FEMA’s handling of mitigation projects for homeowners,
Pictured is the Henson house after being elevated on April 15. This is the height the home will sit at, though it was raised another two feet for crews from Vought Concrete to pour the new foundation walls. (Photo by Rick Stilson)
and the NY Rising program coming online, Henson said that he worked with both until it became clear that NY Rising would pay 100 percent of the home elevation, and it could be done much quicker. FEMA was great right after the flood, Henson said, but for helping homeowners now, NY Rising came out on top.
For an example of how things are different, Henson only has to look at his next-door neighbor’s house, owned by Traci Lane. Lane and her father Jim Morris are waiting, wishing they would hear back from FEMA. Morris was a constant presence while Henson’s house was being elevated. At least when and if FEMA comes through for his family, Morris will be familiar with the process. Until then, all they can hope for is fair weather, and no more floods.
