Seeking help, St. Helena Parish resident looking for assistance as FEMA not moving quick enough

ST. HELENA, La. (WAFB) - Melinda Robertson’s home looks like many of the houses across southeast Louisiana; it has blue tarps on the roof, a tree down, and power lines across the yard.

Inside Robertson’s home is the issue. The tarps are leaking, soaking her bedroom every time it rains.

“I lay in here and I cry every single day, especially if I’ve been out here and I walk in here and I see that and I smell the stale smell,” said Robertson. “It’s depressing and all you’re thinking about is how am I going to fix this.”

When her neighbor’s tree fell in her yard, it ripped the powerline out of her house. Her daughter’s boyfriend put the tarps on the roof but the heavy rains have overwhelmed the cover.

She said she has called nonprofits, churches, and has applied for FEMA assistance but has not gotten anywhere.

“I cry because I don’t have no way to fix it and this makes me feel useless because I’m constantly racking my brain trying to find another resource for help,” explained Robertson.

She did say when she last called FEMA she was told an inspector would come to look at the damage but was not told when that would happen. She also said she was approved for the $500 disaster assistance but it has yet to be deposited in her bank account.

“I keep getting the runaround from them and they keep telling me, ‘Oh, 48 hours, 48 hours.’ I said, ‘It’s been 48 hours three different times.’ And I still, no one has called me, no one has showed up,” she added.

A spokesman for FEMA said he was sending Robertson’s information to the FEMA Individual Assistance section. He could not say how long it takes to process claims because “there is no average time.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers assistance to people who have been impacted by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ida.

https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

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