Metro outlines long‑running floodplain buyout program and countywide stormwater master plan

Metro Water Services on Feb. 26 described decades of work buying and demolishing repeatedly flooded houses, converting those parcels to open space, and a countywide master plan to prioritize neighborhood stormwater projects.

The presentation, delivered by Tom Palko, an engineer with Metro Water Services, outlined why the department pursues voluntary buyouts of at‑risk houses, how the program is funded (largely FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partnerships and local funds), and how the agency prioritizes properties that repeatedly flood or are substantially damaged.

Palko said the buyout program has purchased and removed 473 homes to date with roughly $85 million invested, created about 240 acres of permanent open space and removed dozens of repetitive‑loss structures from recurring FEMA claims. He described buyouts as a voluntary, “willing seller, willing buyer” tool that prevents future losses and reduces emergency response risk to residents and first responders.

Why it matters: buyouts remove the most flood‑prone homes from harm’s way, reduce the frequency of repetitive FEMA payouts and create space that can be used for greenway trails, parks or natural buffers that help stormwater management.

Details from the…