ATLANTA — Several people whose homes flooded when Helene blew through metro Atlanta six months ago say they are frustrated and still not back in their homes.
“We have not started construction yet,” Elisabeth Anderson, who is currently in a rental, told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan.
Pictures of her home show the walls partially ripped out down to the studs. The water rose so quickly that she, her husband and their 7-week-old baby had to be rescued during the storm.
“We’ve done remediation work, but now we’re dealing with just making sure the house is buildable to move back in,” said Anderson.
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Nearby, Simone Alting’s home hasn’t been touched even though she has flood insurance.
“I thought at least I would get money within three weeks or four weeks,” said Alting. “So far, I just got a little down payment, but nothing to be able to repair the house or do anything to the house.”
Most of the contents are destroyed. After weighing the cost, Alting and her family are going to tear their dream home down.
“It turned out that it would have been almost the same price, lifting the house, doing all the repairs and building new,” said Alting.
She hopes to be back in her home by Christmas.
Those who are rebuilding, have a Facebook group to support each other. Many are surprised they haven’t gotten further in rebuilding.
“It’s been six months. Imagine six months,” added Alting.
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FEMA shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News saying they are still helping survivors get access to the resources they need.
We know recovery after Helene has been tough, and we want to make sure survivors get the help they need.
Rental Assistance is still available for survivors who have been displaced from their homes. We urge survivors to keep in contact with FEMA as their situations may have changed. Calls from FEMA may come from unfamiliar area codes or phone numbers.
— FEMA spokesperson
They went on to say that you can reach out to their Georgia Call Center at 678-547-2861 or connect with resources online here.
FEMA added that, to date, more than $337 million has been approved for Georgia disaster survivors.
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