From the Asbury Park Press:
Wayne to buy 41 flood-prone properties, then tear them down
Homes in a low-lying section of this northern New Jersey community will be bought and razed by the township because they regularly flood when the Pompton River overflows its banks.
Mayor Scott Rumana told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Thursday’s newspapers that the township will buy the 41 properties with the help of $5.9 million in promised federal and state aid.
Officials are making the move so they can stop having to rescue homeowners and help rebuild their houses after the floods.
Most of the properties have been appraised at between $150,000 and $175,000, Rumana said. Some homeowners paid less for their homes; properties in other sections of Wayne sell for nearly $400,000.
Melissa Miller’s home flooded several times within months of her purchase of the property three years ago, and she forecast the need to leave back then.
“I looked at my husband and kind of jokingly said, “We’re selling the house,’ ” Miller recalled. “Because it was already the third flood. And I said, “Okay, we’re done, I’m out of here, I’m not used to this.’ ”
Environmentalists said the land was never suitable for housing and will help mitigate flooding by being returned to absorbent wetlands.
Makes sense, morons buy property in flood
zone and the town takes them out.
Only in America
pesche,
Exactly what I was ready to post. It seems like it’s best to be an idiot. A bailout is always around the corner.
pesche22, by your logic, I guess everyone who has a house on the coast is a moron as well.
That’s quite a few morons.
And it’s a lot of people to bail out during hurricane season. Anyone notice their insurance premiums go up within the last year and wonder why?
one has to be a moron to buy in a flood zone.
i stand by those words.
Pesche,
Or it is just what they can afford. I seem to remember something about housing afford ability being an issue in this state.
Back in the early 90’s there was a grand plan that was being spearheaded by the now disgraced Sen. Torricelli to make a tunnel that would shunt the water to Newark Bay. All in the name of draining the flood prone areas of the Passaic River. Back then the cost was over a billion dollars. Luckily the idea was fought and lost.
As for the flood areas, what about the people who live along the Delaware that have been flooded out twice this year. The blame has been partially assigned to the NYC reservoir system which drain into the Delaware.
Profuscious makes a good point, I guess most Floridians are morons by that logic.
Only a complete moron buys in a flood zone.
and only a moron would argue the point.
Have a nice day.
If people who buy in flood zones are morons, then we (i.e.taxpayers) are complicit in their foolishness, as we subsidize their insurance through the NFIP, a program administered by the geniuses at FEMA. One of the more absurd gov’t programs in existence.
most taxpayers are morons . ask most of them.
they have no idea whats going on.
worried mostly about , American Idol, Dr. Phil,
what Mall to go to, and an overpriced ride.
Don’t forget sports:
http://www.demos.org/pubs/The%20price%20of%20glory%20NorthJersey.com%2011.5.06.pdf