Flood demolitions leave many garages still standing

The first of nearly 300 flood-damaged homes started coming down in one Cedar Rapids neighborhood two weeks ago. But neighbors soon noticed the demolition process left something behind.

In a number of cases, while the homes disappeared detached garages and outbuildings stayed behind. It might seem strange, but it all comes down to federal rules and who's paying the bill.

On Ellis Blvd N.W., where demolition started, more than a dozen garages and outbuildings are still standing while everything else was torn down and hauled away. In some cases, demolition crews even took out sidewalks and driveways-but then left all the detached buildings alone. Hannah Thompson, who lives next door to a demolished house, thought the process was a little strange.

“We're out here watching them get torn down and we're like-wait, the garage is still there,” Thompson said. Another resident, Sheryl Reid, was confused at first-but then discovered the reason.

“When they first started doing it I thought it was because they didn't have asbestos and didn't want to put it (the debris) in the same spot. But later we found FEMA won't pay for it,” Reid said.

And that's the entire explanation-federal rules and the federal money paying for the demolition. If the garage is part of the home scheduled for demolition, then everything will come down at once. But unless there's a specific health threat, FEMA won't pay to take down any free standing structures-like sheds, garages and even fences. The city will eventually own the property after buyouts are complete and demolition managers say they'll bring contractors back to finish the job then after figuring out a different funding source to take down outbuildings.

John Riggs, Cedar Rapids Flood Demolition Project Manager, said “probably 30 to 60 days we'll come back to take care of cleaning it up.” Riggs said demolition prices range from $500 for a single car garage to $1,000 for a two-stall structure. He said bringing demolition crews back a second time later would probably add only about $50 to the final bill. But he admits it does seem strange to leave the job not quite finished.

By Dave Franzman, KCRG-TV