Published online 10/6/2007 11:35 PM

Submerged: Months after the flood, a Pawnee Co. family is still treading water

Family hopes to be able to take advantage of state, federal buy outs.

By John Green - The Hutchinson News - jgreen@hutchnews.com

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LARNED - Bill Twitchell was glad to hear the state would help cover some of the cost to buy out homes severely damaged by summer flooding.

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He's just not sure it will help him.

Five months after more than four feet of floodwater swamped the basement of his home three miles east of Garfield, just off U.S. 56, Twitchell is still unable to return.

"There's still about four inches of water in it," said the longtime mechanic. "It was originally above-ground water that came in, but now the water that travels underground is in it."

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced Wednesday the state would pay 10 percent of the cost to buy out property owners in 23 counties whose homes and property in flood zones were substantially damaged or destroyed by the June and July flooding.

The federal government will fund 75 percent of the buy out and local communities are responsible for 15 percent. However, cities may now apply for Community Development Block Grants to assist with 10 percent of the local cost. The block grant money will come from the state mitigation fund, authorized by the Legislature in spring 2007.

Pawnee, Edwards and Harper counties in south-central Kansas joined the mostly eastern Kansas counties included in the assistance eligibility because of earlier emergency flood declarations.

However, Twitchell's home is probably the only one in Pawnee County that could qualify, said local Emergency Management Director Mark Wagner.

And officials in Edwards and Harper counties said they were unaware of any homes that would qualify for the buyout assistance.

"Water got around the houses, where people couldn't reach them, but it never did get in," said Richard Nielson, Edwards County emergency preparedness director.

Any assistance the Twitchells can get will be appreciated, said their Dodge City attorney, David Rebein.

"They've really been through a lot," he said.

The original May 7 flood, besides filling the basement, knocked out power to Twitchell's home, preventing him from pumping out water. More flooding in June acerbated the problem and raised the water table.

"Now it's full of mold," Twitchell said, and it prevents him from living in the 10-year-old modular home. The floodwaters also carried sewage backup and contaminated their water well.

"I've been out of it pretty much since May. We were in a motel for two months, but I had to get out of there. It was driving us crazy."

He and his wife live in an apartment in Larned and pay rent on top of their monthly mortgage payment.

"We're not getting ahead real fast," he said.

Because it is in the 100-year floodway, Twitchell had to purchase flood insurance on the home. Immediately after the flood, he said, he was told the home wasn't covered. He later learned it was covered, but he's been back and fourth with his insurance company since. An adjustor is scheduled to return to the property next week.

"They offered us $24,000 to fix the basement, but FEMA said we can't have a basement there," he said. "We were thinking about moving the house somewhere else, but by the time you spend the money for land, a foundation and moving, we'll have $50,000 more tied up in a house worth about $70,000."

Initially, his church, which allocated money for flood relief, offered to help the Twitchells obtain a lot. But unable to move quickly, that opportunity is now gone.

Twitchell said he's put a lot into developing his property, so though it's appraised at about $78,000, FEMA officials advised him the replacement value, including the land, would be close to $148,000.

"FEMA said they'd help us, but that we have to settle with the insurance company first," Twitchell said. "We're still in limbo, waiting for the lawyers to figure out what to do. It's been a mixed up crazy deal, a real character builder."