Demolition of hurricane-damaged houses in Sulphur slow going

The city of Sulphur continues to work to clean up after the 2020 hurricanes and other weather events by condemning structures at City Council meetings, yet the structures still stand.

It’s a process, according to the administration.

The city is picking up the tab for the demolition. For many of the properties, FEMA Personal Property Debris Removal (PPDR) will reimburse Sulphur for 90 percent of the expense – but not until the work is complete.

Since the beginning of this year, 24 structures that qualify for reimbursement have been condemned, but not demolished.

Seventeen properties have been marked for demolition that do not qualify for PPDR funds. Seven of those have been condemned. Council continues to work with some of the owners who wish to keep properties and make progress on repairs.

FEMA began taking applications for the PPDR program in August through November of 2021, Finance Director Jennifer Thorn said. But it wasn’t until recently that the list of approved applications were received.

Thorn said the city will not be reimbursed until all the work is complete, which includes earlier debris removal from property that qualified for PPDR. She doesn’t know when that will happen.

The long, drawn-out FEMA PPDR process has been discouraging, she said.