“How are you supposed to do something like that?” she asked.

Precinct 3 County Commissioner Mark Domingue said he understands that “it would cost a fortune to raise those homes.”

“It’s worse than (being in) limbo,” he said to one homeowner. “A (building) permit cannot be issued to homes with more than 50 percent damage.”

FEMA inspectors have been working in the neighborhood to determine which homes are affected by the incorrect elevation and which one should be inspected to see if they meet the 50 percent damage guidelines, Pastrana said.

Even if homeowners have the insurance to repair their homes, with the actual lower elevation, their insurance rates will go up.

County judge Ron Walker said he understands that this is a “very urgent and critical time” in the lives of those affected by Hurricane Ike.

Walker and Domingue urged residents to visit the Disaster Recovery Center in Beaumont that will re-open Monday at the former Postal Encoding Center at 750 Pearl St.

The error was found in the elevation by a surveyor using GPS technology in the Country Road Estates area. County officials said it would be difficult to determine which surveyor made the initial incorrect elevation benchmark, but that it was done by a private surveyor hired by a homeowner.