COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) - A central Indiana city plans to spend a
$1.5 million federal grant to buy and repair homes in a
neighborhood damaged by severe flooding last June.

Officials in Columbus intend to buy 16 houses, make repairs and
then sell them to lower-income families and first-time homebuyers.

Mayor Fred Armstrong says the program will help improve the
property values of all homes in the neighborhood on the city's
north side.

The flooding that hit much of central and southern Indiana
wrecked hundreds of homes in Columbus and also caused more than
$100 million in damage to the city's hospital and Cummins Inc.
facilities.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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