UNIVERSITY CITY — Word had gotten out on Vernon Avenue: The city was finally coming.
Residents wondered for days whether their homes would be condemned after record flooding swamped the block. On Wednesday, they got their answer when two workers armed with a stack of bright orange notices told them their houses weren’t safe. To move back in, they’d need an inspection.
Harold Potts took a seat on his porch and pointed to the letter.
“I’m pissed,†he said.
Potts’ flooded white ranch-style home was the latest battleground for the 68-year-old Army veteran who spent more than a decade as a medic stationed in Germany, Afghanistan and on the Korean peninsula guarding the demilitarized zone.
He donned tactical boots and spent days junking much of the kitchen he’d proudly refinished, ripping out carpet and throwing away a television, stereo and mattresses. Now, he’d have to replace expensive appliances and get them installed before he could move back in.
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The cost felt almost insurmountable.
â€I can’t get no help,†he said.
Potts is one of hundreds in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ region facing mounting difficulties in the wake of record-breaking floods more than two weeks ago. Some have been forced to move out from their homes or apartments with little notice. Many will have to wait weeks or even months to get back home. Others have been worried about how they’d pay for necessary repairs and replacements.
In University City, officials estimate more than 300 homes or apartment units were condemned or declared unfit for human occupation due to flood damage. In Hazelwood, roughly 60 dwellings, mostly apartment units, were forced to shutter between July 25 and Aug. 8, leaving hundreds displaced.
“Our first wish is always to keep people in their homes, but we need to keep them in their homes safely,†said University City’s planning director John Wagner.
Aid organizations have stepped in with resource fairs and emergency assistance, and a federal disaster declaration last week opened up additional aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
But several people said they’ve been confused about how to apply for the money and didn’t know what it covered. Still others worried the help didn’t apply to them at all or that the money wouldn’t be enough to cover their losses.
Taking it day by day
Tearia Wilhite and Rechard “Huey†Williams were in limbo.
The young couple has been sleeping on an air mattress in their living room since the water rushed in two weeks ago. A mildew smell wafted from the two bedrooms where the carpets were soaked, and while they’ve called the maintenance line at their unincorporated north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County apartment building, nobody has come to fix it.
They knew others in the complex had suffered worse flooding, but still, they feared mold was growing. They worried about the health of Wilhite, who is pregnant, and their 15-month-old son. They hadn’t yet applied for help through FEMA and said they didn’t get much help from area resource centers.
“I feel overwhelmed,†Wilhite said.
Patricia Saddler was trying her best not to be overwhelmed as she and her husband stood outside their home on Wilson Avenue in University City. The house had been condemned almost immediately after floodwaters filled their basement, soaked the first floor and ruined their car.
Saddler, her husband and four kids had been lucky to stay with family in the meantime, but the constant stream of insurance calls, disaster applications and administrative tasks could be exhausting, Saddler said.
She’d just come home from City Hall, where she’d told officials that someone had dumped a pile of trash on top of their waterlogged belongings. Others had picked through their debris and left clothes and furniture strewn in the street.
Saddler said she knew the aid system from years of volunteering, so she’d had some success getting help from the American Red Cross and had just applied for help from FEMA. Still, between waiting on insurance payments and scheduling needed repairs and inspections it would likely be weeks before they can move home.
â€We’re still just taking it day by day,†Saddler said.
On Vernon Avenue, inspectors continued to make their way down the street with condemnation notices.
The water had been so high in the area that it reached electrical receptacles, creating a shock or fire risk for the people inside, said University City’s lead inspector Tim Scott. Homeowners will need to replace appliances such as hot water heaters or furnaces, and inspectors will also want to ensure people are taking care of molded drywall, he said.
For Cory Campbell, the condemnation still came as a surprise. After the floods, he’d worked quickly to dry everything and replace swamped appliances. He’d always had working electricity, he said.
â€It just wasn’t expected,†Campbell said. “They condemned it out of nowhere.â€
Wagner, the city’s planning director, said if there isn’t as much damage inside, inspectors could come back and remove the notices if they don’t find any issues.
â€It’s more to err on the side of safety and to get things done and go as quickly as possible,†he said.
Debbie Quarternik was working to fix the two furnished rental houses she provides for traveling nurses along Vernon Avenue. She lost furniture, major appliances, cabinets, bathrooms fixtures, drywall and flooring that all needed to be replaced. She also got a bill for $5,000 to fix electrical wiring throughout the homes.
It was a huge blow after she and her husband had put thousands of dollars into the properties. They didn’t have flood insurance because it wasn’t recommended, she said.
â€This is my livelihood,†she said.
Behind city building inspectors on Wednesday came FEMA workers, who were in the area to help people sign up for assistance or check on applications.
Potts, the Army veteran, and his son met them on the porch, told them about the application they’d submitted the previous day and got a list of documentation they’d need to provide to speed up the process.
He’d hoped FEMA would give out vouchers for hotels, but they said they’d only provide reimbursements. He didn’t know whether he’d have the money to pay up front, forcing him to continue to stay with family in the meantime.
But Potts’ biggest worry was when, or if, he’d be able to return to the home that had been in his family for decades.
â€Unless FEMA is helping or I get a contractor, I’m screwed,†he said.