MOFFETT, Okla. — Two years after historic flooding along the Arkansas River devastated the town of Moffett, Okla., residents are still trying to recover. The small town is just west of Fort Smith. On Wednesday (March 31), the town's future was up for discussion.
A meeting was hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and other organizations.
Residents and community leaders were only given two options for solutions. In a letter the Oklahoma Department of Corrections sent to Moffett residents, it instructs homeowners and renters to have their homes bought out or elevated, saying, " Moffett will certainly flood again in the future."
Steven Michaelson, a Moffett resident, told 5NEWS he's here to stay.
“We’ve been here since 1985 on and off, and we’re not gonna go anywhere," he said.
Wednesday's meeting was an opportunity for residents to give feedback on the two options.
“There is no kicking anybody out of a house," Marshall Vogts, Director of Community Development, said. "There is no eminent domain. There is nothing like that.”
Homeowners like Jack Michaelson watched years of his life being washed away by the 2019 flood, saying the help should've come sooner because he's been rebuilding ever since.
“If they really wanna help, they can help people finish rebuilding their houses or help clean up some of the houses in town that nobody’s done anything with," Michaelson said.
5NEWS spoke with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce about Michaelson's concerns, asking why it's taken this long for help.
“The HUD grants that we administer are not designed to be the rapid response grants after a disaster," Vogts said. "There are other agencies that handle the really rapid onset impact of the disaster."
While homeowner grants with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) focus on long-term fixes, everyone agrees the process has been slow, and community leaders say there is hope.
“It has been really exciting to see some of the homes come back and the rebuilding that’s taking place," Susan Yates told 5NEWS.
As of now, there is not a set meeting to help discuss plans in further detail.
Moffett will not receive any more federal help until an elected official signs off on it, and the town does not have an elected official yet.