WEST ALTON, Mo. — Flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers forced thousands out of their homes, and now they're starting to come back to see the damage. Some in Missouri will now be able to get some help on the road to recovery from the federal government.
It is from FEMA's disaster survivor assistance teams. President Trump declared 20 counties in Missouri would be eligible to apply for grants that can cover costs for things like home repairs and temporary housing.
Those counties included Pike, Lincoln and St. Charles. On Sunday, crews from FEMA went around hard-hit areas of those counties door-to-door.
One of those areas is West Alton. FEMA representatives said they've been told nearly 90% of homes have sustained damage.
One of those homes belongs to Jacob Dwiggins. He has lived in West Alton for nearly 30 years.
Inside his home, the hardwood floors are ripped apart; there's mold on a cabinet; the drywall is crumbling; the basement is flooded.
"[1993] was the last time it was this bad," he said.
He said he doesn't know what to do next, if he should just pack up and move or rebuild.
He's far from the only one with this dilemma, and that is why Cindy Shepherd is knocking on people's doors Sunday.
She's a disaster survivor specialist and is canvassing the homes to see if the federal government can help.
"A lot of times people lose everything inside," she said.
She said the key to applying for the FEMA grants is to get registered. If someone doesn't answer the door, she leaves information so that homeowners can take action.
"You can be living in your home again," she said.
"Makes a big difference where you can get your sanity back because that's what we try to do. Bring them back to some sort of normalcy."
You can get registered by clicking here or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.
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