FEMA’s hidden deadline for Kentucky flood survivors

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Lack of Clarity Surrounding FEMA Assistance Deadline Leaves Kentucky Flood Survivors Disappointed

Lance Damer and Susan Hall’s home was just one of many hit by the 2022 floods that killed 45 people in eastern Kentucky.

They followed the instructions government officials repeated: Apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid to help fix your home so that it’s safe, sanitary and functional. If you don’t think the outcome is right? Appeal, appeal, appeal.

In the meantime, Damer and Hall endured a winter without heat or hot water for bathing while housing another family whose home was ruined.

“I’ve never had to struggle just to provide myself with the basic staples of existence,” Damer said. “Just to live and breathe and take a shower or stay warm.”

They think they did everything right. But like hundreds of Kentuckians still hoping for aid, they hit a deadline.

Deadline for Appeals Not Publicly Notified by FEMA

Kentucky Public Radio found FEMA did not notify Kentuckians publicly about an 18-month deadline for survivors to complete an appeal for financial assistance.

When a disaster relief lawyer from eastern Kentucky wrote an op-ed to notify flood survivors, a local FEMA official tried to have the information retracted saying there is no deadline.

When KPR asked federal officials if there is an appeal deadline, they said “I don’t think you can put it simply.”

Dozens of survivors heard a different message from a FEMA call center. KPR sat in on multiple phone calls and listened as employees explained their appeal for more money was rejected and there was no recourse.

That’s how many survivors learned about the deadline: after their cases were closed, ending their hopes for thousands of dollars in additional aid.

One disaster relief organization says FEMA doesn’t always publicly inform people about the 18-month financial assistance deadline.

FEMA officials resist calling this 18-month mark an appeals deadline. Instead, they tell survivors to focus on appealing decisions within 60 days. They say timelines look different for everyone because applications are handled on a case-by-case basis. That’s because some survivors have more complex situations than others.

“So that’s why it’s not fair for survivors to say, ‘What’s the simple answer for this?’ Daniel Llagures, a FEMA public affairs officer said. “We [use] everything we have at our disposal to work with survivors, but [you must] follow up and talk to FEMA [and] let us know what is going on with your case so we can better serve you and help you.”

But when the deadline hits, the call center says it can’t accept paperwork and disaster relief experts say appeals are frequently denied. The agency fervently tells people to appeal — but doesn’t communicate its limits clearly. That sets survivors up for disappointment.

“I still appreciate everything they’ve done for me, you know, but that’s just wrong,” Damer said.

Survivors’ Story: Lance Damer and Susan Hall

Damer and Hall are engaged and live together in Hindman, Kentucky. Their home is separated from the road by a creek so small it doesn’t even show up in maps. But when flood waters ravaged Appalachian mountain towns in July 2022, their creek swelled into a deep and dangerous river.

Damer recalls the water pouring off the nearby mountain top like a “tsunami.”

“The water — when it hit — it was just unbelievable,” Damer said. “It was already halfway up on the porch to the house and it was like three feet from coming up to the top of the porch and coming into the house.”

Damer tied himself to Hall and their dog. Together they waded through the fast moving water to reach high ground.

When the flood receded, the house they had inherited from Hall’s mother needed serious repairs. They don’t make a lot of money — so they applied for help from FEMA. Within a month, an inspector came.

KPR obtained hundreds of pages of documents from the couple’s case file. In it, the FEMA inspector noted the house had shifted off its foundation and needed to be re-leveled. They also noted that the crawl space underneath was “inundated.”

“He came in and within 10 minutes of him being here, he had us $11,000 coming within like three or four days,” Damer said.

But the couple hadn’t yet realized the full extent of the damage. Once they cleared debris from under the house, they discovered ruined ductwork, pipes and electrical systems that kept their water hot and their heat running.