In Panama City, Florida, a house that repeatedly flooded is now gone for good, as the city plans to turn the lot into a catch basin.
WJHG reported that, for former homeowner Kelli Fuqua, the demolition ended years of water damage and repeated repairs.
Here's what to know
Using federal grant funding, Panama City's Hurricane Sally Voluntary Home Buyout Program buys homes in special flood hazard areas that were damaged by Hurricane Sally. Fuqua's former house on Stephen Drive was demolished through that effort, according to WJHG.
Asked what repeated flooding became like, Fuqua described the routine it created.
"So like the first time you're just kind of freaking out getting the numbers, second time, you're like okay, I know who to call, get restoration in, pick everything up off the floor, get the girls out of here, and move to a friend's house for a little bit," she said.
According to Fuqua, the home flooded during Hurricanes Michael and Sally, as well as during separate flash floods, while she and her two daughters lived there from 2018 to 2024.
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Rather than facing another round of cleanup, the city buyout offered a permanent way out of a home with a long history of flood damage.
More background
What weighed most on Fuqua was the sense that the house left her cornered.
"I'm in this home that I feel unsafe in, and I can't sell it, I can't get rid of it, so I'm stuck," Fuqua said.
The uncertainty extended to her credit and long-term plans.
"Like I'm either going to have to move and just keep this mortgage; is it going to kill my credit?" Fuqua explained. "Like my future's kind of riding on what is going to go on with this house."
Panama City officials said an earlier voluntary buyout program existed for Hurricane Michael, but that option has closed. They also said it is still unknown whether Hurricane Isaias will have a similar program.
What's being done?
Commissioner Brian Grainger said the buyout program succeeds in places where the private market often does not.
"This is one of those great programs where government can step in and say, nobody's ever going to buy this home, we're going to buy it for fair market value, and we're going to put the land to use. So we're not just demoing the house; we're putting the land to use," Grainger said.
After the demolition, the Stephen Drive lot is expected to remain undeveloped to work as a flood basin.
"There are happy memories, and there are sad memories, but ultimately the house really taught me a lot of resilience," Fuqua stated.
Where can I learn more?
Flooding and storm risk continue to reshape housing decisions across Florida.
• In Miami, cash buyers are snapping up higher-ground Black neighborhoods as flooding worsens.
• A mansion sold in Naples, Florida, despite a 99.9% destruction risk from flooding.
• One home stayed standing after Hurricane Helene destroyed nearby houses in Florida.
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