Rock Valley began demolishing the first home in the buyout program today for the flooding that hit there in June 2024.
Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo says it’s another step in what has been a long recovery as they have been waiting 839 days. Van Otterloo says city staff have worked extensively to reach this point. Which homes come down first depends on several factors. Some of the houses have SBA loans on them and those loans have to be released from the loans. They’ve all been tested for asbestos and the asbestos has to be removed if it is found in them before the can be torn down.
Van Otterloo says the city is purchasing about 5 to 6 properties a week when possible. He is not sure when all the demolition might be finished. “It’s going to depend on the weather and depends on how fast we get reimbursed, because right now, the city of Rock Valley is putting all the money out to purchase these homes, and we get reimbursed, and they’re hoping that it’ll be that we’ll get reimbursed within 30 days,” he says. He says that’s a lot of a lot of cash but the banks have been real good with working with the city.
The lots where the buyout properties are torn down will be left as open space. Van Otterloo says the demolition carries mixed emotions. “We’re just very happy that we’re proceeding. It’s hard for the homeowners to watch their homes go down,Van Otterloo says. But he says they know it’s a step in the right direction and they’re moving forward with the recovery.
FEMA announced in July that more than 22 million dollars through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, combined with Public Assistance funding, would support acquisition and demolition of 123 residential properties in Rock Valley.
