Recently in Elevating the East End Category

So I've waited a while to post the good - no fanfreakintastic - news about the Landmark Commission granting us permission to elevate our house.  Maybe it was my paranoia that it was too good to be true and they'd suddenly decide to rescind their vote and they'd be calling any day to say "just kidding - no RAISE for you!"... 

Maybe it was my fear of hard-core preservationists who might suggest that we're butchering our beautiful (and let me be clear here that when I say "beautiful" I am picturing the ol' gal in her glory around 1876 - NOT pre-Ike, because, let's be honest we had a ways to go in the cosmetics department!) house.

Or maybe it was the knowledge that, with the permission to elevate would come the jaw-dropping bill for undertaking the project. 

All that aside, we are completely thrilled and so excited for the next steps.  We certainly have the Commission to thank (and major props to Torgerson for his spectacular skills with AutoCad - see pic below of before and after) and can't wait to get this house up, up, and away - away from future floodwaters, away from the cold ground that keeps the place a "refreshing" 22 degrees in the winter, and away from the absolute cesspool that is the foot and a-half crawl space into which everything that is nasty in the world is kept.  And is also perhaps the new and forever home of Will's Cadillac keys...  A moment of silence for the keys please...

Goodbye disgusting, impossible-to-maneuver crawlspace.  You are a black hole for Popeye's errant tennis balls, a veritable timeline of the history of beer in empty cans, and holder of a treasure trove of other garbage items we're destined to find when we can get on under there and explore you a bit more...

Message regarding HMGP buyout/elevation programs:

(As I blogged earlier, this particular program is not likely to offer EEHD residents much hope for assistance in elevating costs...  We will still be keeping our eyes open for CDBG funds soon, but for now, we'll be completing this application **Be sure to note on the paperwork if you are interested in the elevation (not buyout) program** just in case....  I won't be holding my breath though!)

Good Afternoon Property Owners:

I am Sheila Wiora with the City of Galveston and I would like to inform you that we have the application/handbook now posted on our City of Galveston website.

http://www.cityofgalveston.org/_private/newstool/newsdoc/HMGP_Jeff_Ward_community_meeting_1-14-09.pdf  

If you are interested in participating in this program, please fill out the application. In addition to the application the "damage assessment determination" letter you received from the Planning department (if you have it) will need to be included.

Please send the required documents to:
The City of Galveston
Public Works
P.O. Box 779
Galveston, TX 77553
C/O: Cindy DeWitt

If you do not have a letter of damage assessment from the Planning department, please let us know and we will work diligently with you in acquiring that document. Or you can call the Planning department directly at 409-797-3660.

If you would like more information on this program please click on the link below.

http://www.cityofgalveston.org/_private/newstool/newsdoc/HMGP_Jeff_Ward_community_meeting_1-14-09.pdf

If you have anymore questions, please call 409-762-8873 and either speak with Rachel Ruiz or Sheila Wiora.
 

Dear HMGP,
I thought I knew you.  Apparently I did not.  You had to have Brandon Wade and Jeff Ward tell me the truth last night because you couldn't do it yourself.

From what I understand, you and your new lady, FEMA, are all hopped up on statistics and probability.  You provide no glimmer of hope to help us elevate our homes.

What I do know is that I've found someone new - Sterling Patrick and his Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  They seem to really have a lot going for them.  I think, for those of us in historic homes, we and you, HMGP, should make a clean break and move on.  Good luck with your buy-outs since I see now that's really all you were interested in from the start.

-Historic Galveston homeowner

So, if you couldn't tell by the above letter, last night's meeting proved useless for MANY (hopefully there are some homeowners out there that can qualify and best of luck to you!) of us to use the HMGP to elevate our homes.  FEMA seems to be set on only shelling out the big $$s if they see our area as flood-prone (like if our homes flooded every 5 years or every time it rains) and if they can make it worth their while.  Since IKE was such a unique storm, FEMA is likely to not see us as a "worthwhile" investment of their elevating dollars.

Fine.  Luckily, there is another hope: federal funding through the Community Development Block Grant program.  Ah, another acronym to try and remember and learn about...  No worries - we will stay on top of CDBG issues and post them here.  Please stay tuned!

PS.  Even though its "not bloody likely" that we (East Enders) will qualify for the HMGP, we are still encouraged to apply - doesn't hurt to ask, right?  Call the public works dept at (409) 762-8873 - ALL APPLICATIONS ARE DUE MARCH 13th.

**Calling all parties interested in elevating their homes.  Please plan to attend this Wednesday's meeting at the Convention Center (San Luis) at 6:30pm.**
Learn More About the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
Attend the Community Meeting on January 14th
January 8, 2009

The City of Galveston is hosting a meeting to educate island residents about the buyout and elevation program.  This is a voluntary program administered by the State of Texas to help property owners of residential structures reduce the loss of property due to natural disasters.  At the meeting, City officials will discuss the program's eligibility criteria, process, and answer questions from attendees.

WHAT: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Community Meeting

WHEN: Wednesday, January 14th 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort Ballroom A/B

To express your interest in participating in the City's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, for either acquisition "buyout" or elevation resources, please contact the City of Galveston 's Public Works Department by calling (409) 797-3630.
 

Thanks very much to our city council representative for her perserverence getting us an answer regarding elevating using the ICC insurance coverage... Please see the following email below that I received from Mrs. Beeton this week:

Elizabeth,

            Immediately below is the answer to your question from our subject matter expert, Diana Herrera.  The basic answer is yes, a historical designated home can qualify for Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC).  In order to do that the house, not including the land value, has to be found to be substantially damaged, that is over 50% damaged according to tax assessment value.  Since this property is located in the historical district and since there was no requirement to do the substantial damage assessments in that area none were done.  So how does one accomplish this?

            The property owner has to show the City Planning and Permitting folks that the damage to their home "by flooding" was in excess of 50% of the home's CAD value plus 5%.  The best way to do that is for the home owner to obtain an estimate for the repair costs to bring the home back to the pre-storm condition with out considering any improvements, and also not considering the cost of elevating it, and present that estimate to the City Planning Department.  I believe it would also behoove the homeowner to check with Lori Schwarz or David Ewald at the Planning and Inspection Department because I think they may also be requiring the home owner to provide a fair market appraisal of the property by a certified appraiser to be consistent with what everyone else must provide.  The appraisal is the other way to establish the value of the home for the purposes of determining substantial damage by flooding.

            Once the city has made a decision that the home is substantially damaged as a result of flooding, it can issue a letter to that effect to the home owner.  The home owner then files a claim for the ICC with his or her insurance company and includes a copy of the substantial damage letter from the city.  My understanding is that the ICC claims process is the same it is for a flooding claim.

            Furthermore, as Diana has noted, the City Planning Department and the State Historical Preservation Officer (SHPO) must determine what it will take for the home to retain its historical designation and can require certain things be done in the elevating process to achieve that end result; for example, using shrubs and vegetation to hide the piers that are used to raise the property.  So I would also suggest that this homeowner consult with Lori Schwarz, the city's historical preservation expert, to determine what has to be done to meet the SHPO and the City's historical preservation requirements.

            The final area of your concerns is the question of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to assist with elevating a home.  As Diana noted, and as you have heard from Shirley Mayes, the State Hazard Mitigation person for this region, the state's primary emphasis for HMGP grants is for "buy-outs", not for any of the other HMGP grant programs.  However, one of the other HMGP grant areas is for grants to elevate properties above the base flood elevation.  But, convincing the state that it should use the HMGP monies given to it by FEMA for this type of grant is up to the local jurisdiction, we have no direct influence on that.  So we cannot guarantee you or your constituents that there will be money from the HMGP program for elevating homes, only that such grants are authorized. 

Respectfully, Terry 

Terry McArdle
FEMA Liaison to the City of Galveston
AFO-Galveston DR-1791-TX
 

For our first-time guests to www.IBCgalveston.com, welcome!  We hope you'll find the site easy to navigate.  Please let us know if there is something you'd like to see us cover and we'll be happy to look into it!

For homeowners who are visiting the site to find out more information about elevating their homes, please remember we have most posts categorized by theme on the right hand side of this page, scrolling down towards the bottom.  The category called "Elevating the East End" is where you can click to read any and all posts regarding what we have found out about the elevation process.

Feel free to post your Ike story, tips you have found that might help other homeowners in the recovery process, or questions you may have in general. 

Thanks for visiting - please come back often!

"The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is funded by FEMA, but administered by the state's division of emergency management," reports Leigh Jones in yesterday's Galveston Daily News coverage.  (click here to read the entire article)

Although part of this grant program includes a buy-out program, which many west-end property owners are looking into, for those of us in-town that want to elevate our flood damaged homes, this could be a good place to start.

"All property owners throughout the city who are interested in elevating their houses or having them bought out should call the city at 409-797-3630 to add their name to the grant program list. The program is voluntary and joining the list now does not require participating."

We've added our names to the list - will you add yours?

I received a call from Dana in the planning department this afternoon.  It was not from Ms. Schwarz, who is the Historic Preservation Officer in the planning dept, though as I had hoped.  What Dana tells me is this:

We (and most of the East End) are 'blue' on the damage assessment map.  http://www.cityofgalveston.org/_private/newstool/newsdoc/Map_11-13-08_25th_East.pdf

From what I understand, that means we were originally categorized as 'yellow' but since we fall under an historic exemption, and are therefore "excused" from having to elevate/comply, we are now 'blue' (which is the new 'green').  I explained to her what I had expressed to Ms. Schwarz in my emails:  we want to be given the chance to be considered "substantially damaged" (those areas that are assessed "substantially damaged" are shown in red on the map) so that we may pursue the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) rider in our flood insurance.  The ICC can cover up to $30,000 to pay for mitigation of future flood damage, in our case - elevating the home.

As it stands now, there is no appeals process for 'blue' properties.  You can appeal if you are any other color, it seems, besides 'blue'. 

Dana has assured me that she will have Ms. Schwarz get to the bottom of this 'grey' area when she meets with the FEMA rep tomorrow afternoon (2pm).  I will be following up with her and posting whatever I find out.

I don't know about you, but I'm about to go color blind!

I've submitted another request for some more specific information from the Galveston Planning Department's Historic Preservation Officer regarding pursuit of the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) insurance coverage for those of us with historic homes.  I will post any response I get as soon as it comes in...

Good news:  the owner of Cherry House Moving has agreed to "work with us" on the cost of elevating our historic homes.  Hopefully, if there is a group of us that can get through the permitting process and then get approval from the Landmark Commission by submitting appropriate and acceptable plans, we can help make the elevation cost a bit more easy on the pocketbook...

Stay tuned for updates...

(the following info was taken from Leigh Jones' November 16th coverage of the ever-developing City's assessment map)

APPEALS PROCESS

Ways to appeal substantially damaged property

1. All property owners appealing a substantial damage ruling must obtain a certified pre-storm appraisal, not more than a year old, which indicates the house value is higher than the Galveston Central Appraisal District value.

2. In conjunction with a certified pre-storm appraisal, submit a complete project bid from a registered contractor to repair the structure and the insurance adjustment determination, if the structure was insured. Property owners who plan to do the work themselves can submit a cost estimate for the materials needed to do the work, but city officials must add a cost estimate for labor to the total to make it consistent with other estimates.

3. Submit an elevation certificate, completed by a licensed Texas surveyor, verifying the structure is located at or above the base flood elevation and complies with current National Flood Insurance Program rate maps. The maps can be viewed online at www.fema.gov.

4. Elevate the structure to the minimum elevation requirement for your area.

5. Move the structure to a property that conforms to the flood plain regulations.

6. Demolish the structure and rebuild according to the current regulations.

Ways to have property ruled substantially damaged

1. Submit a complete project bid from a registered contractor to repair the structure.

2. Submit the insurance adjustment determination, if the structure was insured.

3. Request the damage report from the city and make sure basic information, like square footage, is accurate.
 

It's not really "love", but the Galveston Planning Department, that we want to help lift us (and by "us" I mean our house) up, but it is where we belong, common sense - and Ike's foul waters that seeped into what little insulation we HAD, our electrical box, and 2 complete sets of home appliances - would suggest.  

Michael and I are not alone in our quest.  After canvassing the neighborhood last week, we were thrilled to have been met with such support and positive feedback from homeowners we visited and talked with along the way and from those that called us after reading the notes we left about elevating our historic homes.

Our city council representative has been extremely communicative with us and I am confident that our Planning Department and Historic Preservation Officer will agree that, if we want any history left to preserve, elevating these homes and ensuring they'll be here for 125 more years is imperative.

We'll be posting information as we gather and confirm it, but please feel free to give us a buzz if you'd like to join the cause!