FEMA Money Helps a Little

By: Steve Nicoles, Reporter

By Steve Nicoles

IOWA CITY - Flood victims who have already received FEMA money are realizing it does not stretch very far. The maximum amount a homeowner can get is $28,800. A FEMA representative says most people get about $2,500. That is not even one tenth the maximum amount allowed. There just is not enough money for everyone to max out.

There is a definite sign of progress at Myron Welch's house. He thinks he can live in the house a block up from Normandy Drive by the end of the month. Water filled his home 22-inches deep. Welch said, "New furnace, new air condition, new water heater, everything was lost on the appliance side."

FEMA gave Welch $25,000. The money helped get him back on his feet. But it does not mean sweeping changes in Welch's so-called forced remodeling. Twenty-five grand does not go very far. It is not supposed to. FEMA Spokesman Brad Craine said, "Government programs were not intended to put people back the way it was before the flood. We simply can't do that."

The sheer number of dollars FEMA has already doled out to Johnson County is one hindrance. More than $3.5 million has come into the county. Also, homeowners cannot get paid twice for the same problem. So, if insurance covers part of a loss, then FEMA cannot. It can be a problem for homeowners. Welch said, “It can't go very far. It won't cover all that stuff."

But it helped Welch get the insulation needed to make his home livable again in a few weeks.
Homeowners who want more money can apply for a low-interest loan with the Small Business Administration. SBA will pay up to $200,000 for home repairs.

Email Steve Nicoles at Steve.Nicoles@kcrg.com
View comments

The following comments do not necessarily represent the views of KCRG-TV9. Users have agreed to these terms and in doing so accept full responsibility for their comments. Moderation is limited.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 1:00 PM Anonymous wrote ...

what happened to taking care of yourself, and people helping you out. instead the government takes out money under a gun, and gives it to whomever they wish. you have sold out your American pride,i wish I could give to charity instead of the government, I think I can make much vetter choices.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 9:59 AM **CR Schools Foundation** wrote ...

A fund has been set up to help the 1834 displaced CR students. $25 helps buy school supplies for 1 student; any amount is accepted. Send to/Checks payable to: Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation, 931 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. On check memo, write: STUDENT SCHOOL SUPPLIES.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 7:06 AM Me wrote ...

We're lucky the govt gives us ANYTHING. I'm happy with the FEMA money and have bargain shopped, did most of the remodel work myself and made it stretch as far as I could. My house is going to be BETTER than it was when I get done. I'm not complaining.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 6:21 AM hand it over wrote ...

Well I got 6' water on first floor and got nothening. go figure

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 3:22 AM Anonymous wrote ...

where does FEMA money come from? it appears i cannot help you as I was forced to pay taxes and they go into it, I cannot write off those truly deserving but its ok the government will take much better care than your neighbors ever could.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 2:05 AM Wade Hemmelrick wrote ...

It all comes down to this: Even though Cedar Rapids flood victims would get some kind of financial assistance, most could not afford to rebuild, but would have no other choice except to relocate somewhere out of town.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 1:58 AM Anonymous wrote ...

KCRG - Maybe you can answer the questions regarding donations. I know several people who have given money including me. I want my money to go to the individuals affected. Who hands out the money donated? I know the Red Cross gave some directly but what about the money raised by Floodstock & the Aegon Foundation, how do the flood victims access those funds?

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 1:20 AM I am a survivor of the Flood of 2008 wrote ...

I am going to stick up for FEMA for doing what they can. I have more faith in them than the Red Cross at this point. I think I'd rather donate money to the Buddist's who came to town to help before I would give money to the Red Cross. They pick and choose who to help depending on what day of the week it is and what mood they are in.

Tuesday, Jul 15 at 12:30 AM BobbyLee wrote ...

It sounds like the rich homeowners in Iowa City are getting the most $$$ while the poorer citizens in Cedar Rapids will get very little if anything is left. This guy only had 22" of water while most in C.R. had 2,4,8 feet and more. This guy in I.C. should have never biult a house in that flood plain. It is outrageous that taxpayers are funding his mistakes.

Monday, Jul 14 at 11:17 PM Anonymous wrote ...

i got 13 foot of water around my house in cedar rapids and fema gave me 17,000. now how does 22 inches compare to 13 foot and 17,000$ to 25,000$. now im not complaining any money is good money but how do they expect people to rebuild without having a 150,000$ morage for a 80,000$ house?

Monday, Jul 14 at 10:23 PM to nancy wrote ...

I can tell you that the Red Cross is done with us but Salvation Army still comes around once in awhile with meals and snacks for those of us still cleaning up.

Monday, Jul 14 at 7:58 PM wise money wrote ...

Where is all the donation money going? There are fund raisers and such going on all over- where is this money going and who is in charge of the distribution. I have donated as well as others I know to the funds to go to private citizens to help them out. When are they going to get some of this fundraising money? I understand the city has many needs but they also have a lot more backing to help them out. The private citizens getting $2500 from FEMA aren't able to do much recovery with that amount

Monday, Jul 14 at 7:07 PM what about businesses wrote ...

This FEMA is BS. SBA is giving loans to businesses but they have to pay that back. SBA didnt even give us a loan because we didnt pay ourselves enough we put it all back into the building and business. So now WTF do we do?!?!?

Monday, Jul 14 at 6:51 PM Nancy, a former Cedar Rapids resident wrote ...

I really want to help those affected by the flood get back on their feet, to help fill the gaps not covered by insurance or FEMA. Does anyone know where I can donate money or goods that will go directly to the families? Does the Salvation Army or Red Cross, etc give help directly to families so that they can both rebuild and get new furniture and all the things needed to live a "normal" life? It breaks my heart to think of these families losing everything and not being able to replace it all.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 500 Characters Left

By submitting a comment to this web site, I affirm that I have read, understand, agree to and shall abide by the following rules and regulations as a term and condition of all comments which I may post. As terms and conditions of using this KCRG web site, I agree that I am fully responsible for the contents of all statements which I make. To the best of my knowledge, all such statements are true, fair, and accurate. I shall not post any statements which attack a person’s integrity or moral character, expose a person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule, deprive a person of the benefits of public confidence and social dealings, or injure a person in the maintenance of that person’s business. I shall not knowingly post content that violates the copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual property right of a third person. I shall not post content that is false, liable, defamatory, obscene, abusive, that violates a person’s right to privacy, that otherwise violates any applicable local, state, national or international law or that is otherwise inappropriate. I acknowledge that if I post a comment which violates this policy that an offended person to whom comments are directed may have a right through judicial process to determine my identity and make a claim against me for damages. I agree that I shall indemnify KCRG, its employees, agents, representatives and affiliates from any and all expenses KCRG may incur as a result of comments I post which violate this policy, claims and/or damages, including but not limited to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. KCRG is not responsible for the contents posted or anything arising out of the use of the contents or other interaction and has no obligation or duty to monitor or control any posting but does reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove, or edit user generated comment.

I have read and agree to the terms

Hide comments
Athlete of the Week
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
More On Demand

What's On KCRG

1:06
Inside Edition
1:36
KCRG-TV9 News at 10 (encore)
2:11
World News Now
4:30
America This Morning