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The problem with that is building such a system would require tens of millions of dollars and take more than a decade to complete, Farrell said. Given recent history, Fourpole will flood several more times in the next decade, leading to more frustration.

As neighborhood residents noted, KineticPark and Huntington High altered the contours of the landscape immediately upstream from Enslow Park. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s possible the two developments have contributed to the flooding problem. What wasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t mentioned is that part of the floodplain above KineticPark may have been filled in with commercial development in the past two decades, which makes the problem worse.

Fourpole also floods upstream of Enslow Park, closing roads and threatening residences. But those are more spread out and not in city limits, so they are not talked about as much.

Building one or more flood control dams in the Fourpole watershed could run into resistance from people whose property would be taken. Such resistance could delay the project by years.

There are other alternatives. Federal officials could recommend that some houses be raised on their foundations by several feet. That would not prevent flooding, but it would reduce the damage to those residences. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been done in this area before.

Another alternative is if the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other federal agencies do a cost analysis and decide it would be better to buy out every residence in Enslow Park, demolish them and turn the neighborhood into green space. Again, itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s happened elsewhere, and it was discussed at Tuesday nightÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s meeting.

Several residents asked if FEMA buyouts were possible. Zane Parsley, project manager for HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Office of Planning and Development, said the city is pursuing a process that may give a disaster declaration for some houses.

The city cannot afford to buy everyonesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ homes; however, Parsley said with assistance from the federal government the city may be able to triage out the most damaged houses and the ones that continue to flood. Parsley said the city is looking into federal programs that could put buyouts on the table for some of the hardest-hit residents.

Farrell is looking at ways to warn residents of impending flood events and reduce damages in the short term while pursuing long-term solutions. The problem is that those solutions could involve alternatives that people donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t want to hear.