COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — City officials in Council Bluffs are sending notice of a property buyout program to residents affected by this year’s Missouri River flooding. The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs reports that many residents in the affected area have asked the city about assistance. City officials sent letters recently highlighting the buyout program spearheaded by Pottawattamie County Emergency Management.

Property owners can submit a form online to indicate their interest in a potential buyout, without committing to a sale. Officials say it’s a way to gauge interest in the program and the amount of funding that may be required. The affected area is west of Interstate 29 in neighborhoods north and south of Interstate 480 near River’s Edge Park and Dodge Riverside Golf Course.