RALEIGH — The city of Raleigh will receive a $6.4 million grant to enable the city to purchase or elevate 55 homes in flood-prone areas, Richard Moore, secretary of theN.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, announced Wednesday.

The State governmentwill contribute 25 percent of the cost for the Hazard Mitigation Program grant. The other 75 percent is provided by theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"The goal of thehazard mitigation programis two-fold," Moore said. "First, to help these citizens move to a safe area, and second, to make sure we don't end up paying for disaster recovery in the same area time after time."

The grant will allow the city to purchase 35 homes, and those residents will be able to use the money to find housing elsewhere. Seventeen other homes will be elevated so they are above the floodplain. Utilities will be raised at five three additional homes, and five vacant lots will be purchased.

Under the hazard mitigation agreement, the city will purchase the properties, clear them of structure and maintain them as open spaces.

Doris Bartlet owns one of the houses the city will purchase. She saysHurricane Franmarked the sixth time she has been driven from her home because of flooding.

Even though Bartlet is moving, she says flood insurance is worth every penny if water ever makes its way to a home.

"It's got to be worth it," she said. "You have to get it because they say it's going to get worse in here."

Anyone can buy flood insurance, even if the home owner does not live in a flood prone area. About one-third of all flood insurance claims come outside of flood zones. Flooding is not traditionally covered by homeowners insurance.