Twenty-one homes in a subdivision near the Des Plaines River will be acquired by the federal government and demolished in an effort to mitigate future disasters.
Once demolished, the area of what is now the Big Bend subdivision in Des Plaines will be kept as permanent open space, officials said.
Nearly $3.6 million has been set aside for the project. Most of the cost -- $2,698,523 -- will be paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Association. The remaining funds -- nearly $900,000 -- will come from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
The area is prone to flooding and the homes there devastated by rising waters many times.
"The grant will enable [the residents] to move out of the floodplain and avoid future heartache and property losses," said IEMA Director Jonathon Monken.
