FALMOUTH, Ky. — A Falmouth resident whose home was damaged in the April flooding of the Licking River said he's now drowning in bureaucracy as he tries to get help from FEMA.
In early April, Brad Carroll had his garage filled to the brim. The weekend of the floods, he was planning for a massive garage sale. Then over six feet of water turned it into a washing machine.
Watch our April interview with Carroll with the damage he’s going through:
In the month since, Carroll said he's had multiple inspections, but has yet to receive actual assistance.
He said he’s had seven FEMA workers, a state worker, the mayor and the judge-executive at his house assessing damage.
Carroll said he is frustrated with what he describes as seemingly empty promises from FEMA relief inspectors, who he said keep telling him the same thing: "I'm here to get you what you need.”
But, he said: “No one's done nothing.”
Watch our conversation with Carroll, and why he said he needs help from FEMA:
I called FEMA for an update on Carroll's case and visited their Disaster Recovery Center in Falmouth.
Friday afternoon, a spokesperson return my call and said Carroll will “get extra assistance within a few days.”
The spokesperson stressed that for some situations, relief is distributed differently when non-essential living spaces, such as basements, are impacted.
Carroll said FEMA approved him for $1,570 in displacement money, and the check will be put in the mail.
“It has nothing to do with the mold or items that I’ve lost,” Carroll texted me. “[FEMA] is also putting a letter in there for me to appeal for what I’ve lost.”
Earlier in the day, Carroll told us he needs $6,500 from FEMA — the quote he received from a professional to remove mold from his property.
"You can smell the mold, just open the door," Carroll said, showing me items in his garage that were once slimy with flood water and are now dried but smelly.
In a letter he plans to share with relief officials, Carroll's doctor writes his health is deteriorating from the weeks he's spent cleaning out the garage.
In the meantime, Carroll put up a new sign addressed to President Trump pleading for help and transparency.
He’s frustrated that there are several workers at the Disaster Recovery Center but they “are not truly helping us at all. Wasteful spending,” the sign reads.
Putting up a sign is the one thing he can control in a situation flooded by frustration.
"I don't have a smidgen of hope anymore,” Carroll said.
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