Flood prevention fund up for council vote this week

Hundreds of homes in La Crosse face the risk of flooding every year because they sit in a floodplain. 

This week, the city council could vote on a proposed fund to help families at risk to reduce the chance of flooding, or to pay for repairs. 

Andrea Richmond represents a north-side district where many homes were damaged during the unusually long flooding season this spring, and she supports the fund idea.   

Richmond says the number of homes in the floodplain might be reduced by remapping the city, because it’s possible that the flood threat has been reduced in some neighborhoods.     

A family could qualify for up to $20,000 to pay for procedures such as filling in a basement to prevent frequent flooding. 

The flood relief fund idea was approved by a council committee last week.