http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=ec9bf3d444858c9e

quote:

---

Yellow and red tags

City inspectors placed red stickers on buildings that had obvious structural damage and likely will have to be demolished.

Properties with yellow stickers sustained moderate damage. Some of them will have to be demolished, depending on whether the cost of repair work is more than 50 percent of the property’s value.

But the city has not decided which houses have more than 50 percent damage, O’Donohoe said.

Federal assessment teams, which began work this week, will help the city make that determination, although local officials have the final say.

If repairs cost more than half the property’s value, owners must bring their structures into compliance with the city’s current codes, which include base flood elevation requirements, O’Donohoe said.

Living areas will generally have to be rebuilt one story off the ground, but the exact height varies in different parts of town. If existing structures can be elevated, property owners will not have to demolish them.

Only properties eligible for or already listed on the National Register of Historic Places are exempted from floodplain regulations, O’Donohoe said.

---

Same policy for LaPorte/Shoreacres, and everywhere else that sustained extensive damage. The term they're using for the over 50% is "substantial damage". There's already been several homes in Shoreacres condemned, and the inspections aren't supposed to begin until tomorrow.
Many of us are ready to start hanging sheetrock, but can't do anything (can't pull permits) until the inspection process is complete.

quote:

---

Living areas will generally have to be rebuilt one story off the ground, but the exact height varies in different parts of town.

---

So is this saying that new houses and the ones that need 50%+ repairs will end up looking like beach houses? If so, that's going to look weird in town.

What's even worse is that houses that can't be raised (those built on slab) have to be demolished and rebuilt, but the insurance company doesn't give you any more money.

Example: If you have a 200K house and ins says 100K damage, you get to demolish your house and try to rebuild w/ 100K plus 30K from fema. Your instantly out 70K

I'm thinking construction will be in the form of two story houses, but the first floor will be all garage. The living area will have to be above the flood line.

If you go through town now, you can see where the new houses are high up and old stuff is ground level.

^

im eventually going to build a house in-town on the seawall protected part of the island. this is going to be the idea.

i say this with about a 30-35 year timeframe.