DENIED: How one Tampa Bay couple recovers after Hurricane Helene

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — With hundreds being displaced after back-to-back hurricanes and many across the Tampa Bay area being denied aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , folks are struggling with who to trust as they search for help.

Floridians across the coast and beyond are feeling overwhelmed with the FEMA application process and denial while struggling on the road to recovery, calling this a “nightmare” situation.

“Here we sit, almost three weeks later, sleeping on an air mattress, no hot water, nothing in our home and we haven’t seen anybody come by. Not a policeman, not the mayor, no one saying Mr. and Mrs. Nowery how are you doing? Nobody,” Kirk Nowery said.

Leading an international non-profit organization, “ Hope Partners International ,” Kirk and Violeta Nowery were out of the country at the time Hurricane Helene hit.

“Four feet of water sat in our house for two days and took everything we’ve collected in our whole lifetime,” Kirk Nowery said.

The Nowerys have spent their entire lives rescuing children who have been abandoned, sex trafficked and enslaved, and has never asked for help before for anything.

That was until now.

Kirk Nowery and his wife Violeta Nowery contacted their insurance agent, were put into the FEMA process and were declined with no explanation.

They took action immediately and had FEMA adjusters and FEMA displacement come by their property. Rep. Kathy Castor’s office is trying to reopen their claim after being denied from FEMA, and have reached out Senator Marco Rubio for help but haven’t heard back from his office.

They are doing everything they are told, but yet are still stuck with no help.

“We lost everything, and the worst thing was the memories, the pictures of our children and all those kinds of things that are precious to us,” Kirk Nowery said. “The entire house is a loss inside, the only thing we have left is the roof — which is damaged — and the exterior walls.”

“How can you be denied when you have lost everything? This is not a game. It’s not like let’s re-apply again and get approved. No. This is not a game.”

The Nowery’s are not the only ones confused with FEMA and the relief process. Elieen Bedinghaus , a broker-associate in Tampa Bay has been contacted by clients for weeks who have lost everything and don’t know how to recover.

“People don’t know who to trust and FEMA’s employees, I don’t believe they are trained properly and are not sharing this information with homeowners,” Bedinghaus said.

The information Bedinghaus is referring to is the 50% rule. The 50% rule is where you only get 50% of your structure’s value.

“FEMA separates it out on your land and improvements on your property,” Bedinghaus said. “They will only give you 50% of the value of your structure. They will not give you funding for the improvements like your pool, your screen enclosure, your dock, any improvements you’ve had outside. Those are gone.”

Bedinghaus and her fellow relators were trying to research and figure out what it took to get a certain amount of relief aid from FEMA for their property owners. While researching they were stumped when similar homes and property were vastly different in estimated FEMA aid.

Bedinghaus’s best advice for struggling families and residents is to get your own insurance agent and not to sign anything.

She shared that her friend said there was a “real estate agent” going house to house in Shore Acers, offering them money for their house, saying they could give them a contract right here, right now and get it all done.

“Vultures is what they are,” Bedinghaus said. “When you have a loss, you are not supposed to make any major decisions because it’s a very emotional and traumatic time. Don’t make these decisions now, take your time, hear what they have to say and gather information, but don’t trust them.”

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