The City of DeKalb received $868,521 for the removal of flood-prone homes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The money is part of a Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant for the acquisition and removal of up to six structures repeatedly damaged by flooding, according to a press release by FEMA.

The PDM grant pays for 75 percent of the total costs to the project. The city pays the other 25 percent. This money goes toward applying long-term improvement procedures.

This grant will help prevent future structural losses, emergency repair costs and the financial obligations of federal, state and local governments, FEMA said.

“This is just a part of an overall problem/solution to the situation” said DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen.

The grant is up for approval at the next City Council meeting this month.

If the grant is approved, the city will have to come up with nearly $290,000 to cover the rest of the costs, said Joel Maurer, director of engineering in DeKalb. Once approved, families will be given the opportunity to move.

“The families voluntarily chose to be a part of the program,” Maurer said.

The houses would be bought out at a fair market value, Povlsen said.

Three of these homes are located near Lions Park, and the other three are on Fairmont Drive, east of Barsema Hall.

Construction to these areas would not begin until the spring of next year. Funding for future buyouts of floodplain homes are in the works, Maurer said.

The space where these homes will be vacated will remain an open area permanently.

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