Harvey and my mother in law's house in South Houston

[Sean Haardt]

Hello BP community. Thanks in large part to BP, I purchased my first duplex this summer in Western Maryland. I look forward to helping others on BP reach their goals as I have been helped. But I urgently need advice and help again. My mother in law has a home in South Houston which is in one of the worst areas in terms of total rainfall and her home had a foot of water in it. She did not have flood insurance. She is staying with us in Maryland helping to raise our 14-month-old daughter and has not been able to get a flight due to airport closures. We finally were able to get someone over there to take pics today. It is indeed inundated with mold and a bad smell everywhere. It is going to have to be gutted. I'm trying to help her decide if it is worth rehabbing the place or selling. I hear FEMA has individual assistance of up to $33,000 but I don't know how much she will qualify for. Does anyone 1) know how much FEMA may help her, 2) have any advice on how to proceed as far as the speed and order to gut and begin rebuilding and still qualify for FEMA assistance? She needs to gut the place quickly as mold is growing daily. I also need contractors with references.

[Belinda Lopez]

The faster she can get the place remediated, the better.  What is she wanting to do with the property?  sell it? or fix and stay there?  If this was the first time it flooded, then investors will look at it - including me! Believe it or not, a foot of water is not much compared to other areas.  A foot of water means a four foot drywall cut and "basic" remediation to replace flooring,  electrical outlets and everything under the cut line.  It's the properties that had water to their roofs that can't be saved.

FEMA and the SBA can help but it is a VERY long process. There might be some immediate help for temporary housing and other grant programs but expect a very long wait and process to rebuild. If she is able to get back, does she have some place to stay? My experience from Ike is that the paperwork required to get long-term help is about two inches high and is pretty daunting for most folks. If you can assist her with it, then there are several programs that can help her now and long term. FEMA will do everything from getting her a temporary place to stay including a trailer in her yard to writing her a check for up to $33k so she can rebuild. After Ike, tons of folks received checks for $28k with NO restrictions and I can tell you first hand that many of those folks used them for things like new motorcycles and other luxury items instead of repairing their properties. Then they either abandoned their properties or sold them for pennies on the dollar after they spent the money on other things. Many elderly simply moved in with their family members and left their homes. I am still finding Ike rehabs from 2008 where that is the case.

So, in your mother-in-laws case, what is it she want to do? stay or sell? If she wants to stay then going to a FEMA center is her best option or starting the application online at disasterassistance.gov is the starting point. The SBA is the agency that then handles the loan programs even for non-business owners. This is very confusing for many b/c they are not business owners but it is the SBA that handles residential owner loans. I would say she register for any and all assistance out there including FEMA, the SBA, city and county programs, programs for elderly residents, churches and other non-profits who are willing to help her rebuild. Heck, I have an agency who will be helping to rebuild homes for those with no other resources so let me know where the property is.

Let me know what she wants to do with the property and I can give more options for resources.  Good luck to her and your family.