Oklahoma County District One Demolishes First Home Under FEMA Grant

Contact: Commissioner Willa Johnson
Phone: (405) 713-1501

Crutcho Park Addition, Oklahoma County – District One Commissioner Willa Johnson announced today that Oklahoma County had demolished the first of several homes acquired by the County under Phase One of the Crutcho Park Hazard Mitigation Project. Crutcho, an unincorporated community in Eastern Oklahoma County, lies within the flood plain of Crutcho Creek and the North Canadian River. The area has been plagued with water problems for decades.

“I am just so excited to see the success of this project in helping residents get out of harm’s way,” Johnson said. “Flooding has been such a huge threat and problem for these folks and I am proud to be a part of providing permanent relief for these citizens.”

Janet Price, a long time resident of Crutcho, whose home was purchased under the program, said she and many others within the community were thrilled when approached by District One officials about the possibility of voluntarily selling their homes in order to escape the flood-prone neighborhood. “I am so excited to be moving, it will be wonderful to not have to worry every time it rains if I’ll lose my home, or worse yet, someone lose their life because of the flooding,” Price said.

Commissioner Johnson explained the program, which is 100% voluntary, is being paid for from grant funds received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as bond funds approved by Oklahoma County citizens on May 13, 2008. District 1 received just over $1.3 million dollars from FEMA. Those funds combined with the County’s 25% match will bring the total funding for Phase 1of the project to over $1.7 million.

Commissioner Johnson noted she successfully fought for rules that protect the Natural Disaster Hazard Mitigation Bond Funds and ensures they are only utilized for these types of projects. “I am committed to following through on the promises we made to voters when they approved the bond funds,” the Commissioner said. She continued , “we pledged a 3 -1 return on the bond funds for Natural Hazard Mitigation Projects in Oklahoma County, and we are delivering on that promise. ” Under Johnson’s Rules, the county will spend $6 Million and receive $18 Million in grant funds effectively turning $6.0 Million into $24 Million.

This is Phase I of a multi phase project, as future funds become available District 1 plans to proceed with the program. The grant application for the next phase has already been submitted and county staff is working on the applications for subsequent phases.

“I am so proud of the hard work by all of our county employees,” Commissioner Johnson said. “On this specific project I would especially like to thank Ruth Walters, Oklahoma County Flood Plain Administrator, David Barnes, Oklahoma County Emergency Management Director, and our Engineer, Stacey Trumbo”

In total, just over 100 homes are targeted for the Crutcho Park Hazard Mitigation Project. Under Phase I, 18 offers were made to homeowners. Of those, 15 have already accepted the county’s offer and 4 purchase transactions have closed.

Godlin Pre-Demolition	Godlin Post-Demolition