(Radio Iowa) – Iowa communities hit by this spring’s flooding are evaluating whether — and how — FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program could work in their area. The grants may be used to buy homes that are damaged or destroyed by flooding — at pre-flood market prices — and the land is cleared. Kevin Robinson is the deputy city manager in Spencer.

FEMA typically pays 75 percent of the cost of these projects, with state and local governments being responsible for the rest.

The program was used previously in Cherokee, where nearly 190 homes were either demolished or moved — clearing about 67 acres along the Little Sioux River.