Published: June 09, 2009 11:00 pm      

FEMA goes door-to-door

FEMA going door-to-door to offer assistance to flood victims

Federal Emergency Management Agency representative Michael Jurnak walked up and down the alleys and roads of Rhodell Tuesday, knocking on doors of homes and businesses.

Had he done so a month ago, he would have been sloshing through mud and creek water.

But Tuesday, Jurnak stayed dry as he told Rhodell residents about the opportunities they have for FEMA help as they rebuild their homes after the May 9 flood.

“I explain the process and the programs available and the application process from the time they apply to the time they may receive funds or a grant for repairs,” said Jurnak. “I also visit all the community-based organizations. I attempt to talk to pastors of churches or leave fliers with them.”

Jurnak also visits businesses to tell owners and customers of the assistance available, he said.

“If no one is home, we leave a flier in the doorway,” he said. “We listen to issues and concerns they may have in the community regarding flooding.”

FEMA representatives will canvass in more than 20 Raleigh County towns. Residents in Rhodell seemed happy to see them.

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Rosa McKinney of Rhodell said she was grateful for the FEMA representatives who visited.

She recalled Tuesday that she awoke on May 9 to the sound of someone pounding on her door.

“It was very scary,” recalled McKinney, who is in her 80s. “It was around 6 in the morning, usually when you get your best sleep. This one lady from the fire department came and said, ‘Rosie, come on! We’ve got to take you out’,” she recalled.

Rain had swelled the Stone Coal Creek behind McKinney’s house, and the water was quickly pouring into her backyard.

McKinney said the flood waters washed away her driveway. Over the next few hours, the water also poured into her basement, destroying her furnace. Her hot water heater in the basement was “floating around in there like a leaf or something.”

“The furnace was the biggest thing,” said McKinney. “All the things you don’t want upstairs, you stick in the basement, and it was ruined.”

McKinney — who also survived the 2001 flood — said she didn’t want to leave her home. When McKinney didn’t immediately evacuate, her neighbor, 74-year-old Frances Vass, called McKinney’s daughter and asked her to come evacuate her mom, Vass said.

“I had to leave the home because I can’t stay here without electricity and water, so I go over and stay with my daughter until it’s all right to come home,” McKinney reported.

After an extended stay with her daughter in Crab Orchard, McKinney returned to her flood-damaged house. Like many residents, her insurance covers her in case of fire, but not in case of flooding.

“The FEMA representative was really good to me,” said McKinney.

She added she has “faith” she’ll get the help she needs.

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McKinney’s neighbor, Mae Graham, 55, said her laundry room was destroyed by the recent flood. Rugs and side panels had to be replaced, she said.

Graham said after the 2001 floods, she received FEMA aid. She added that FEMA officials told Rhodell residents at that time to get flood insurance — a step Graham took.

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Andrea Lilly of Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department reported that 10 to 12 inches of flood water invaded the station during the May 9 flood.

“We were out on calls, trying to help people, and then our station was getting flooded itself,” she said. “It was just a big mess.”

The whole building was filled with mud, but most fire equipment and trucks were evacuated before sustaining damage, said Lilly.

“We had to completely gut the office and the kitchen down to cement walls and down to the wires,” she said. “We put cement floors back in, instead of the wood floors ... so we wouldn’t have to keep tearing out the wood floors.”

The wood floors had been damaged in 2001, too, she said.

“We got a lot of help from the Emergency Operations Center in Beckley,” she said. “We’ve got our application in with FEMA.”

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FEMA Public Affairs Officer Mike Sweet said public assistance is available to government agencies in Raleigh, Mingo, McDowell, Mercer and Wyoming towns that were hit by the floods.

The monies may be used to repair buildings, remove debris, repair bridges and to pay overtime costs associated with emergency services during disasters, said Sweet.

The federal government provides 75 percent of funding for every 25 percent provided by the state, said Sweet.

To apply for individual assistance, flood survivors may call 800-621-FEMA or visit http://www.fema .gov/assistance/index.shtm

— E-mail: jfarrish@register-herald.com