Road to recovery could test some victims

Associated Press

TARBORO, N.C.

Tiajuana Williams lives in a one-story apartment building in Princeville, N.C., that was flooded by a river bulging with rainwater from Hurricane Matthew. Before driving out of town in her Honda Civic ahead of the storm, she hurriedly packed a small bag with little more than a change of clothes.

Now, even while seeking aid to replace her belongings and arrange long-term housing, she has more pressing needs: “I ain’t got no clothes. I left my clothes in there!”

If other recent floods in Louisiana and elsewhere are any indication, she could face a long road to recovery. She filled out a FEMA application online and signed paperwork Thursday with an agency representative who met with people in Tarboro, just across the Tar River from Princeville.

But Williams was told that it could take a week or more to get to the next step, which will be a phone call from another representative who will go over her information again. She doesn’t have renter’s insurance and fears her stuff has been ruined. Making matters worse, she hasn’t been able to get to her job as a home health nurse and doesn’t expect a paycheck this week.

“I’ve had a headache for about four days,” the 53-year-old said, taking a drag off a cigarette.

Her stress may not go away anytime soon if other recent flood disasters are a guide.

In Louisiana, thousands of displaced families are still waiting for government assistance after the catastrophic deluge there two months ago – from a storm system that didn’t even have a name.

In West Virginia, where 23 people died in June flooding and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, rental options are scarce and the hilly terrain leaves few flat areas open for new construction. Clay County commissioner Jerry Linkinogger estimates nearly 1,000 people in the central West Virginia county of 8,500 residents applied for FEMA aid.

The county has only one small hotel, so some flood victims left the area to find temporary housing.

Last week, 466 households in Louisiana and 39 in West Virginia were living in FEMA-provided mobile homes. FEMA also is paying for approximately 2,500 Louisiana families to stay in hotels.