Shore Acres residents awaiting FEMA assistance with temporary housing costs
SHORE ACRES, Fla. - Residents in Shore Acres have been busy for days cleaning up.
Many are now awaiting assistance from FEMA to help with temporary housing costs, but some lawmakers are warning the agency may run out of money before the end of the month.
John Gray and his family will have to replace almost all of their belongings and won't be able to stay in their home for at least several more months.
They're confident their insurance company will help offset repair and replacement costs, but when it comes to finding a place to stay for his family, they will have to pay out of their own pocket.
"You can see some of the water line on the front door right here," Gray said.
At least six to 12 inches of water made its way into Gray's home in Shore Acres.
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"The bottom drawers both had water in them with our clothes that were still in there," Gray said.
It's a house they've lived in for over 20 years and one they just remodeled no more than six months ago. Now, nearly everything will have to be replaced.
Like many residents in Shore Acres, the Grays have already filed a claim with their insurance company and registered for assistance through FEMA.
John Gray and his family have to replace many of their belongings after Hurricane Idalia.
A FEMA representative reached out Monday, telling the family the next step will be to have someone with FEMA come to the home to assess the damage and determine how much they'll qualify for.
According to FEMA, homeowners can qualify for up to $41,000 for home repairs and an additional $41,000 for other expenses like temporary housing.
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However, US lawmakers are raising concerns that the agency could run out of money because of a spending fight and potential government shutdown, which would cut off disaster funds if lawmakers can't agree before the month's end.
"Anything would help because flood insurance doesn't cover displacement for us to go anywhere and stay. We have to do that on our own. That's out of our own pocket. Yeah, that would be nice," Gray said.
Gray and his family are now salvaging the few items they can and loading them into this pod. They say it'll be months before they can move back in. However, they say the support from neighbors and strangers is what's helping them get through.
"It's been tough, but we have been blessed with help from the entire community," Grays said.
Gray and his family are staying with relatives while looking for a more permanent place to stay.
They say the City of St. Pete has not been around yet to pick up their trash, but say volunteers and trucks made their rounds earlier today and helped pick up a lot of people's damaged belongings and haul it off for them for no charge.