Des Moines Seeks Money to Buy More Properties in Flood Zone

Spurred on by recent heavy rains, officials in the city of Des Moines, IA, are seeking more money to buy properties in a flood-prone part of the city, along Four Mile Creek.

According to city manager Rick Clark, flooding in the Four Mile Creek neighborhoods is “uncontrolled,” and recent weather has only shown that more buyouts are needed.

After serious flooding two years ago, the city of Des Moines spent over $1.5 million acquiring, relocating, and demolishing seventeen properties near Four Mile Creek. The money to do so came from a combination of local, state, and federal sources.

Since then, the city has received a grant from the State of Iowa to purchase six more properties, and is awaiting instructions from the state on how to proceed.

City officials are also working for a comprehensive review of Four Mile Creek’s 120-square-mile watershed.