Prairie du Rocher raises concern about meeting Levee standard

Published: May. 24, 2016 at 11:27 PM CDT|Updated: May. 25, 2016 at 1:50 AM CDT
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PRAIRIE DU ROCHER, IL (KFVS) - Leaders in one flood-prone town worry about the levee that protects their city.

But this time the concern isn't floodwaters.

"It's important for us to be able to keep it affordable for people to live here," Amy Barbeau, President and Founder of the Chamber of Commerce, said.

People who live in Prairie du Rocher and the surrounding areas are concerned the levee doesn't meet Federal Emergency Management Agency's new standards and that could force people in the area to pay up to ten times the average amount for flood insurance.

"If you're used to paying $300 a year for this flood insurance it would be $3,000 or in the thousands and it wouldn't be an option, it would be required," Barbeau said.

So, the city needs money for a survey, and right now they are tens of thousands of dollars short.

Leaders are worried this could halt any further construction in the town and force people to move away.

"Recently, we were given a deadline so now it has to be completed quickly and we are short about $62,000," Barbeau said.

"I'm terrified it's going up, because the chances of losing your home and the prices going up from something that should have been fixed," Randloph County resident Heather Hooter said.

Some said if the levee can't be upgraded it could cause the town to dry up.

"It would almost be a deathblow to the town without the levee certification, because there would be no future growth and people would be gradually moving away," Village President Raymond Cole said.

"So, we would have no options."

"If this town dies off, I mean what's left of Rocher... I mean you have everybody putting their kids through school, we could lose the town, the store, the businesses there's just so much at stake for loosing it," Hooter said.

As of right now, leaders don't know where they are going to get the money.

In addition to the levee certification issue, the town is still trying to repair the damage to the levees caused by the New Year Flood.

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