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FARGO — Craig and Marcia Strehlow's 4,400-square-foot dream home had been their sanctuary for 23 years, a wooded paradise in North Dakota river country. But after record-breaking spring floods, they and thousands of others are left wondering: Will the federal government help?
The floods left the Strehlows' home in shambles — torn out carpets, drawers and appliances — near the confluence of the Red River and Wild Rice River in eastern North Dakota's Cass County. The water came up 16 inches, and repairs could cost $250,000.
The couple, now living in an apartment, are among more than a hundred local homeowners waiting to find out if the federal government will buy them out of their home. Months after the flood, they still don't have a clear answer about what will become of their dream home.
"You know something? It's hard to come back," 57-year-old Craig Strehlow said, walking through his half-demolished house this week. "Until you go through these types of emotional situations, it's hard to understand."
The floods caused millions of dollars in damage in March and April after snow, ice and heavy rain pushed rivers and streams over their banks, forcing evacuations. It caused an estimated $100 million in economic damage.
The total cost of damaged homes hasn't been assessed, but nearly 800 claims have been paid out totaling $8.6 million — the bulk of it to repair damaged homes — by a Federal Emergency Management Agency program. More than 4,600 home inspections have been completed.
But government officials haven't finished assessing candidates for full buyouts. No county in North Dakota has submitted to FEMA a buyout application, which includes the county's assessment of its residents' damage. That's mainly because counties are still wading through complex FEMA software to find out who qualifies for assistance.
"It's almost like FEMA has this sum of money to give us, but we first have to do the New York Times crossword puzzle correctly," said Fargo attorney Ron McLean, among 15 homeowners in the Strehlows' neighborhood.
"We're making an offer on a house away from the river because we just can't take it anymore," he said of his decision not to come back to the home he lived in for 31 years.
In deciding who's eligible for a buyout, FEMA officials use a formula to show whether it's more cost effective to move a home out of harm's way or to pay for fixing it up and leave it with the possibility it could be damaged by a future flood.
Homeowners who qualify for buyouts are offered the pre-flood value of their house, based on the average of two appraisals. Cass County has posted each homeowner's cost-benefit ratio on its Web site.
The Strehlows were told they're likely low on FEMA's priority list, mainly because their French country-style, two-story home wasn't built below the average 10-year flood level. Cass County officials said it appears that only homes with main floors built below that level would qualify for FEMA assistance. That would cover only about 10 percent of homeowners who applied.
Now the Strehlows aren't sure whether their home is worth fixing.
It's a dilemma facing dozens of homeowners along the Red River near Fargo, and they likely are just the first of many people who will face the choice. The Fargo area is farther along in the process, according to the state Emergency Services Department, which works with FEMA.
But other communities are still assessing damage, and some are likely to add damage from this week's heavy rain.
"Buyouts are not going to happen overnight. They take time," said Mike Hillenburg, a flood mitigation expert for FEMA. "We have to make sure it makes sense when it comes to spending taxpayer money."
