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Inspecting flooded houses will be slow, dirty process

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JANESVILLE — A mother mallard and four brown ducklings paddled across Joseph Street.

River weeds rooted in the street waved under 6 inches of murky water.

In some cases, you could wade up the street, walk up a muddy driveway or a dead lawn and get into the house. Other houses remained surrounded by water.

The city hopes to offer money to flooded residents who want to move from the floodplain, but the city does not intend to help people rebuild there, said Mike Williams, city leisure services director.

The Rock River is receding more slowly than expected from the flooded Mole & Sadler’s subdivision, said Gale Price, manager of the city of Janesville’s Building and Development Services.

But now is the crucial time for the city to help residents in the neighborhood on the west side of the river between Riverside and Traxler parks, he said.

“This is probably the most important stage,” Price said. “We need to make these determinations, and residents need to decide what they want to do.”

It will be up to the residents to decide whether to rebuild or move on, Williams said.

Many things will factor into those decisions, he said.

First, residents must contact their insurance companies, if they have them, and contact the city.

City inspectors will assess the homes’ values and compare them to bids for repairs from contractors. If the homes are unfit to live in, they will have to be torn down.

Rebuilding depends on the amount of damage. Inspectors will look at floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets, furnaces and other permanent fixtures.

“We did get into one house, and we found that it was in a pretty sad state of affairs,” Williams said. “It was covered in mold from floor to ceiling. A number of the houses, if not all, are going to be faced with similar situations and challenges.”

If the repair cost is more than 50 percent of the house’s equalized assessed value, homeowners may rebuild. That’s because the Mole & Sadler’s subdivision is in the “floodfringe,” which is the part of the floodplain that holds standing water during floods.

Rebuilding would not be allowed in the “floodway.” That’s the part of the floodplain with moving water during a flood. Janesville does not have any houses in the floodway.

But if homeowners want to rebuild in the floodfringe, they would be required to raise their houses 2 feet above the flood level, Williams said. That could mean building on stilts or bringing in fill.

Homeowners would need permits to bring fill into the floodplain, Williams said.

Or homeowners could choose to tear down their homes and move on, he said.

That’s going to be a tough choice for the people who love living in Mole & Sadler’s subdivision.

John Briggs doesn’t live in the neighborhood, but he was there Friday cleaning his son’s house. He and a friend were tearing out wiring and saturated carpeting from the house at 1816 Joseph St. Many of the walls were moldy.

The damage was a double whammy, because the house was remodeled less than six months ago, Briggs said. He said it will be tough for his son and daughter-in-law to decide what to do with the house.

“They like it a lot down here,” Briggs said. “They’re not enthused about moving, if they have to.”

To help residents who want to move, city administration is looking for cash sources such as grants.

On Monday, July 28, the administration will present options to the city council.

The city could pay residents the pre-flood fair market value for their homes and lots as well as relocating costs, Price said. He doesn’t know, yet, how much money would be available for relocation.

The city will not give residents money to rebuild, Williams said. Federal grant money is intended to motivate people to move out of floodplains, he said.

The city will not force residents to move, however, if they have the means and desire to rebuild, he said.

If the city finds funding, it will be to help residents who feel they are in “desperate situations,” Williams said.

FLOODPLAIN VS. FLOODFRINGE

To participate in the flood insurance program, Wisconsin statutes require cities, villages and counties to enforce floodplain zoning ordinances created using hydraulic and engineering studies.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has regulations that are meant to keep people safe, reduce damage to property and prevent 100-year floods.

The DNR prohibits—with very few exceptions—construction in the “floodway.” When a flood occurs, the floodway has water moving through it. Houses are not allowed in the floodway.

Houses and businesses are allowed in the “floodfringe.” That’s the part of the floodplain that holds standing water during a flood.