The Rozella Street house is a shell of what Mr. Durand bought 20 years ago as investment property. The structure burned in a fire nearly a year ago, but he decided against rebuilding after 10 years of watching nearby Rocky Creek swell under the home's doors.

"Every time I rented, I had to tell people to watch the weather report," Mr. Durand said.

This week, he received a check for $8,700 from the federal government.

Despite the seemingly low figure, Mr. Durand - who is one of three homeowners to receive buyout money from the government's Hazard Mitigation Grant program - said he feels as though a weight has been lifted off him.

"I'm just glad I don't have to worry about it anymore," he said. "I'm glad that I don't have to rent it anymore, knowing that people are probably going to get their feet wet."

More than a year ago, local Emergency Management Director Dave Dlugolenski submitted a list of eight homes, including Mr. Durand's, on an application for a federal Hazard Mitigation Grant.

The grant program, administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acquires homes in flood-prone areas through a partnership between the federal and local governments. The city agreed to spend $200,000 for the home buyouts, and the federal government matched that with about $600,000 in funding.

The first three homeowners received their checks this week, totaling more than $28,000.

Two of the homes are in the Hollywood subdivision behind Regency Mall and one is on Delmont Street, off Old Savannah Road.

The remaining five homeowners still are sorting through the required paperwork before a buyout can be completed.

All eight flood-damaged properties were selected based on a 10-year history of flood insurance claims and were included in the program on a voluntary basis.

The three purchased structures are set to be demolished in April which will cost about $9,000 in grant money. The property will become city-owned greenspace and will be protected from being built on again.

"We alleviate all the pain and suffering from the homeowner," Mr. Dlugolenski said. "And it protects lives. From an EMA perspective, we don't have to worry about those individuals any more."

The following homes are part of a federal buyout program to acquire homes in flood-prone areas:

1925 Rozella Street - bought for $8,700*

1903 Farris Street - bought for $4,600*

229 Delmont Street - bought for $14,800*

3103 Chelsea Drive - pending

3115 Chelsea Drive - pending

304 Avery Drive - pending

2919 Kipling Drive - pending

2426 Castlewood Drive - pending

* Buyout checks might be less than the appraised value of houses because past federal insurance payouts had not yet been spent on home repairs.

Reach Heidi Coryell at (706) 823-3215.