DETROIT, MI -- A letter of denial doesn’t necessarily dash your chances of receiving disaster relief funds -- FEMA representatives are urging Southeast Michigan residents to try, try again.
More than 50,000 people in Wayne and Washtenaw counties applied for federal grants since President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for severe rainstorms between June 25-26. FEMA approved roughly one-third of those applications as of Friday, securing $53.7 million for residents to pay for home repairs and other needs not covered by insurance. The other two-thirds of applications, not to mention a growing tally of 2,000 Individual Assistance Program claims being filed every day, have an uncertain future.
Residents affected by the floods have had mixed experiences seeking assistance, and many still need help to replace appliances and sanitize basements contaminated by sewage backups.
A FEMA spokesperson did not say how many applications have been denied so far, but the agency is encouraging people to be persistent. The deadline to apply is Sept. 13.
“Should you get a denial letter and it tells you ‘absolutely, this is the end of the process,’ then we encourage you to file the appeal,” said FEMA Public Affairs Specialist La-Tanga Hopes. “There may be information that you didn’t provide, you can do that in the appeal process. There may be information that we have missed.
“Denial letters are just the beginning of the conversation.”
Metro Detroit residents still remember the last time FEMA rolled into town, and that experience is coloring their decision to seek aid. Hopes said officials noticed some people were initially hesitant to seek help.
Minyetta Nelson, a lifelong Detroiter and talk radio personality, feels burned since FEMA denied her last flood damage claim in 2014. She’s not interested in going through the process again.
“If you denied me then, you’re going to deny me now, so why would I waste my time?” Nelson said.
Valerie Booker had to change residences after floodwaters made the house she was renting unlivable. She lost virtually all of her belongings and is sleeping on the floor. Booker said she’s tried to call FEMA but wasn’t able to get ahold of anyone.
Others had better experiences, like Tamara Harvey, whose mother was approved for funds to replace her furnace, water heater, washing machine and dryer. Harvey’s mother is also being put up in a hotel while FEMA cleans her house.
“She’s on oxygen, she uses a walker and she really can’t be in that house,” Harvey said. “She said it’s been an easy process. I’m glad they were able to help her without much problem.”
The June storm dwarfed the 2014 downpour, which caused a disaster declaration, an estimated $1.8 billion in damages and impacted 75,000 properties.
In 2014, FEMA approved $156 million in Individual Assistance Program grants to 73,411 applicants. The federal agency did not respond to a request for the total number of applications, but news reports from the time pin the figure around 126,300. By that count, roughly 40% of all claims were denied.
FEMA is facing pressure from lawmakers and researchers to address racial disparities in its disaster programs. A growing body of research suggests FEMA often helps white disaster victims more often than people of color, who also tend to bear the brunt of extreme weather fueled by climate change. Census estimates show non-white residents make up 85% of Detroit’s population, 45% of Wayne County and 26% of Washtenaw County.
Related: As floods continue to pound Detroit, the city’s most vulnerable residents face crisis
FEMA Administrator Deanne Chriswell acknowledged a need to make disaster recovery programs more accessible during a June hearing convened by a U.S. House subcommittee. Chriswell, who led New York City’s emergency management department before being confirmed in April, said even she found it “difficult to navigate the federal bureaucracy” as a local official.
“I understand the frustration,” Chriswell said. “I think that right now we can do a better job of making sure our programs are more accessible for individuals, so they know what to ask for and what they would be eligible for.”
FEMA is taking a look at ways to make the Individual Assistance Program more equitable. An ongoing analysis is focused on barriers that prevent low-income households and vulnerable populations from receiving disaster aid.
Meanwhile, state and federal officials are encouraging residents not to give up. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan held a press conference Wednesday outlining the process of applying for individual assistance.
“Denial letters are often not final. I know how much we heard about this, but they may just mean you need to submit more information,” Duggan said. “Don’t throw up your arms in despair.”
Five locations were established across Wayne County to help people navigate the assistance programs. Duggan repeatedly pointed to the disaster relief centers as the best place to go if people have trouble with their claim.
“If at any point you find this confusing, just go to the centers,” Duggan said.
Jamilah McCoy held back tears of relief as she left a disaster recovery center in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood, one of the areas hit hardest by the June floods. McCoy was asked to come in and provide more information. A few hours later, her claim was approved.
“FEMA did good,” McCoy said. “They did OK.”
Hopes, the FEMA communications official, said most denials happen because the applications are either incomplete or have minor mistakes that can be corrected. Applicants will receive a letter explaining why FEMA deemed them ineligible and how the decision could be changed.
Everyone has the right to appeal a FEMA decision, but it must be done within 60 days of the date on the decision letter.
Emergency assistance only covers what is needed to make residences safe to live in; it doesn’t reimburse residents for all losses. Damages from other floods that happened after June 25-26 are not covered.
Sean Tiller said FEMA agreed to cover the cost of replacing his washing machine, dryer and a freezer, but not his water heater or furnace. Structural damage to the back wall of his basement also wasn’t covered, but he plans to appeal the decision.
Without a water heater, Tiller has been forced to boil water and take cold showers for the last month. Tiller runs a catering business and also lost many pieces of expensive equipment when sludgy sewage rose from drainage pipes and flooded his basement.
Tiller, who lives in a brick house built in the 1930s, said he learned from his experience applying for grants in 2014. Tiller didn’t seek an appeal for more aid at the time, but he’s not making the same mistake again.
A FEMA representative visited Tiller’s house two weeks after Biden declared a federal disaster. He’s said the response has been “excellent,” but also suspects politics has something to do with it.
“I know that our new mayor is up for reelection, and our president knows that a lot of Wayne County voted for him, and the midterm elections are coming up, so they’re showing up,” Tiller said.
Gale Basley, another resident of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood, is thankful that she received a $9,000 grant, but said the amount is “pennies compared to what we need.” It won’t cover damages to a community garden she tends for other seniors in the neighborhood, nor help replace pictures of loved ones she lost in the tainted waters.
Basely, carrying a scrapbook of pictures from the June flood, was in high spirits as she left the FEMA center on Thursday. The situation has been stressful; she recalled sobbing over a destroyed photo of her late mother.
“I said to myself ‘Stop it. You’re going to have to cry later. Get up and clean this basement,’” Basely said.
In other cases, people who don’t qualify for grants are told to seek a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration. The SBA approved 195 loans for $5.8 million as of this week.
Payment for SBA loans are deferred for 18 months. Call 1-800-659-2955 to talk with the SBA.
Kevin Rippy, a resident of the Krainz Woods neighborhood, said he was directed to the SBA after he filed a claim to replace his dryer. Rippy isn’t sure why FEMA denied his claim, and he’s not enthused about taking out a loan. He was laid off when the state temporarily shut down casinos last year and hasn’t been brought back on since.
Residents with property damaged by flooding may also be able to get reimbursement by filing a claim with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department online or by calling (313) 267-8000. The deadline is August 10.
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