Cobb County has inspected about half of its flood-damaged homes, giving owners the green light to apply for building permits, officials said Tuesday.
And workers in Powder Springs and Austell will start detailed home inspections Wednesday, city officials said.
About 685 homes in unincorporated Cobb County were damaged in last month's flood, said Lanita Lloyd, deputy director of Cobb's emergency management agency. That number could rise if more homeowners report damage, she said.
That total does not include Austell, where about 696 homes were damaged, or Powder Springs, where 93 homes were severely damaged.
The average homeowner with less severe damage is probably going to have to replace the bottom four feet of a home's interior, said Lee McClead, manager of Cobb's development and inspections division.
"Most likely it's going to be replacing electrical wiring, air conditioning units, furnaces and replacing drywall, cabinets and doors," McClead said.
If the water rose higher, it would be necessary to gut more of the house, he said.
So far Cobb County has received between 50 and 60 applications for flood-related building permits, he said.
County experts on assessment, permitting and rebuilding will be available to answer questions at a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 21, at the South Cobb Government Service Center at 4700 Austell Road.
Cobb County has already inspected about 340 homes, said Commission chairman Sam Olens.
Last Friday, county workers drove to 220 homes and placed letters on the doors stating that those homes were outside of the flood plain and had suffered little damage. Those homeowners were given permission to apply for building permits for restoration, McClead said.
In the past week, Cobb has inspected an additional 120 homes or so, using FEMA's more detailed Residential Substantial Damage Estimator software.
Those homeowners have not yet received their letters saying they can rebuild, but a new batch of permit letters should go out by the end of the week, McClead said.
Austell plans to send out six city workers Wednesday, including the fire chief, to start detailed FEMA inspections on hundreds of homes.
"I know it's a big task, but we hope to finish by the end of next week," said Jim Graham, Austell's community affairs director. The city is not waiting to finish inspections before granting building permits, he said.
Powder Springs has given preliminary approval for eight residential building permits and one commercial permit, Mayor Pat Vaughn said. Norcross-based SAFEbuilt, which handles building inspections and permits for Powder Springs, requires that a home have no more than 19 percent moisture level before an owner rebuilds, Vaughn said. After Hurricane Katrina, homeowners rebuilt before the walls were dry and mold started growing, Vaughn said.
"They don't want a repeat of Katrina," she said.
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