BATON ROUGE - A few dozen homeowners across the city-parish want the federal government to buy their flood-prone houses at reduced prices. The East Baton Rouge Metro Council introduced 41 new applications at its meeting Wednesday night.

FEMA administers the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program to purchase homes that have repeatedly flooded and are eligible for national flood insurance. The grant pays for 75 percent of a house's assessed value.

After the house is bought, it is demolished and turned into green space. East Baton Rouge Parish has been consistently awarded the grants since 2015, purchasing 88 houses so far.