Residents urge county action as repeated floods, insurance losses hit DeSoto neighborhoods

Several DeSoto-area residents told the Jefferson County Missouri Council that repeated flooding along Hedge Creek and nearby channels has left some families without flood insurance and facing possible foreclosure.

At the council’s June meeting, Beverly Moore, a DeSoto resident, said: “I’ve had 3 floods in 10 months. I’ve lost everything once and I’m on the verge of losing everything again.” Moore said she received a cancellation letter from her flood insurer that day and that she is “on the verge” of foreclosure and has recently lost employment.

Longtime local resident Susan Lilly told the council she has worked on the issue for nine years and urged the county to pursue buyouts and cleanup. “The money is there,” Lilly said, describing conversations she had earlier that day with the governor’s office and citing prior buyout applications. Lilly said five buyout applications submitted previously were approved and that a separate application for eight more buyouts was turned down.

Gene Barbagallo, who spoke about a lagoon near his property, told the council he had asked county staff about a required 100-foot setback and said he had not received a timely response to his inquiries. Barbagallo said the lagoon was not yet in service but that he was concerned about allowing such facilities in areas the county’s master plan identifies as prime-development land.

Speakers linked flooding to public-health and environmental concerns. Lilly said the community has a history of lead contamination and called parts of the area “a Superfund site,” and she told the council she had observed neighborhood residents with respiratory issues following repeated flooding.

Council members did not take formal action during public comment. The council’s agenda moved on to other business after the public-comment period, and residents were directed to staff and future agenda items for follow-up.

The comments at the meeting focused on three practical requests: (1) pursue additional buyouts for repeatedly flooded properties; (2) coordinate with state and federal offices on available funding; and (3) improve county responsiveness on permitting and setback enforcement related to septic/lagoon systems and creek maintenance.

County staff and council members did not announce a specific new program or funding allocation during the meeting. Several speakers asked the county to work with Buy In, a California-based organization they said has assisted local buyout efforts, and asked the county to press state partners on available grant funding.

Residents repeatedly emphasized immediate needs: local cleanup to reduce hazards, clearer information about available buyouts, and expedited county responses on permitting and enforcement.

The county’s next steps on the specific requests were not stated on the record at the meeting; residents were encouraged to follow up with county staff and with council members after the meeting for case-specific assistance.