WEST ALLIS, Wis. — On Monday, TMJ4 News revisited a West Allis resident, Courtney White, who lost her home in the wake of the historic floods that swept through southeast Wisconsin in early August.
As thousands of residents recover from the historic floods, many are juggling applications and resources to see if they can get assistance.
White said both she and her husband have had no luck with their insurance or getting assistance from the city.
“Everybody wants to say, well, there are resources out there, but the resources aren’t meant for everybody, unfortunately, and it leaves a lot of us kind of stuck in this hopeless place,” White said.
Courtney White and her husband were able to save their pets and their late son’s ashes while their home was severely damaged by the floods. With cracked walls and a caved-in foundation, their first home is now unlivable.
“We got married in our backyard. And, you know, less than a year later, we got pregnant with our son, who, unfortunately, we never got to bring here. But, you know, this house—this house was our starter home. This was the start of our life together, and it’s gone. It’s gone,” White said.
Watch: West Allis family still searching for relief weeks after losing home to flooding
Since then, they’ve been living with her mom and filling out applications for assistance — without any success. White said even though they make just enough money to afford a home, it’s too much to qualify for assistance from the city of West Allis. She said she saw one assistance program where the cutoff was a household income of $40,000 or less.
“But if you’re making $40,000 a year, you probably don’t qualify for a mortgage, so you probably couldn’t get a home in the first place,” White said.
Starting this week, the American Red Cross of Wisconsin began outreach for financial assistance to residents whose homes were destroyed or had major structural damage. Impacted residents are urged to visit this site for more information.
White said she applied for assistance through the Red Cross but won’t find out if she qualifies for another two weeks. For now, she says her only hope is FEMA.
“I really hope that they can get this declared a disaster, because, as of right now, that is my only option,” White said.
White said one silver lining in this storm has been the help she’s received from the community. She has a GoFundMe open for anyone who wants to help.
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