NASHVILLE — State and local officials are working to clear homes and businesses in Nashville’s floodway, but home-owners will have to wait at least 10 months before getting a check.
The Tennessean reported that more than 500 properties are located in the city’s floodway, the area along a waterway most prone to damage.
Mayor Karl Dean has said the city also plans to buy about 2,500 properties that are inside the city’s 100-year flood plain. There are about 650 homes in the 500-year flood plain that could also be purchased if the city can afford it.
Jeremy Heidt, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said the process takes at least 10 months if everything goes smoothly.
The properties are purchased with a combination of federal, state and local money. The typical formula involves 75 percent federal money, 12.5 percent state and 12.5 percent local, so local governments have to decide whether they can afford to match.