Drive just off Front Street and down William Street in Owego, N.Y. and you will see a house towering over all the other homes in the neighborhood. For some, this might look unusual, but for those who experienced the flood in 2011, it is a grim reminder of everything people lost, but it could also be a symbol of everything that Owego could gain and how much it has grown.
In 2011, the flood in some manner impacted everyone. The people most strongly affected were those who lost their homes or whose homes were damaged almost beyond repair. Now, the Village of Owego is working tirelessly to help repair the homes that were hurt most by the flooding and to help protect the area from going through such devastating losses again.
The elevation project being performed on William Street by Dexheimer Rigging & Building Movers has been a long awaited relief from the flood damage for the homeowners. This project works to elevate homes that were damaged by the flood. This not only stops the homes from being damaged again, but helps to reduce flood insurance rates and helps to maintain the home’s value.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and New York Rising – with FEMA covering 75 percent of the cost of raising a home and New York Rising covering 100 percent of the cost of raising a home, sponsor the project. Generally an elevation costs around $100,000, so the grants given by these services are desperately needed.
Homes are raised two feet above their current level, and if the individual wishes to raise their property higher than that, then the money will have to come from their own funds. Regardless, that extra two feet can make a world of difference.
This home, located on William Street in Owego, N.Y., is currently being elevated by Dexheimer Rigging & Building Movers. (Photos by Wendy Post)
Two houses have already been elevated and three more are in the process of being elevated. The process of getting your home eligible is a long bureaucratic one. It involves a lot of research and paperwork but the actual elevation seems to take an estimated two months to complete. Owego Mayor Kevin Millar says that this will lower flood insurance rates, which could potentially save some people from having to sell their homes and leave them. Millar added that this was an overall positive change for the village in that it will help people stay in their homes, and will hopefully make everyone much safer.
Millar says that so far nine homes have been taken off of the tax rolls and that in the future another nine will be taken off. The Mayor said that this affected the tax base by $8,000 dollars.
This is not the only change, though; there are new ordinances for homes being built in Owego now. The Floodplain Damage Litigation Law works to standardize how high houses must be from the water level. This will work to prevent future flooding and also keep individual flood insurance rates low and reasonable. This is another important factor, that, when paired with the home elevation will maintain Owego’s tax base, and will keep residents safely in their homes.
