Families displaced by Florence find new a ‘normal’

Jan. 12--As the Rossi family of Jacksonville continues to call a hotel room home four months after Hurricane Florence, the little things remind them they'll get through the frustration and challenges they and other families face as they wait to get back into their homes.

Inside, their home in the Branchwood neighborhood has been stripped down to the frame. The boxes of personal belongings -- some salvageable, most not due to mold -- are a reminder of what they lost.

But for the first time since the storm Savanna Rossi looked down in her front yard this week and found what she believes is a sign of better days ahead.

"My son and I were finding four-leaf clovers in the yard all the time over the summer and we haven't seen one since the storm until now," Rossi said as she held the good-luck clover in her hand. "This is my reminder that better days are coming."

Getting help is 'a struggle'

After months of dealing with a roller coaster of emotions from frustration to guilt, Rossi said they are learning to accept their life after the hurricane may be different from what it was before the storm.

Yet, she said, their outlook doesn't change the challenges that remain.

"When society goes back to normal you are supposed to go back to normal but there is that link that is still missing in your life," Rossi said.

Savanna Rossi and her husband, Cody, as well as their 6-year-old son Daniel, have been living in a hotel since late October and are currently staying at Staybridge Suites, but they're not sure how much longer they'll be able to stay there. The family is still waiting to hear if insurance will pay for their room.

"We still haven't gotten our loss of use claim," she said.

Savanna Rossi said dealing with insurance claims has been one of their biggest frustrations since filing a claim just a few days after Hurricane Florence.

"Getting help with everything has been a struggle," Savanna Rossi said.

Although Yolanda and Angel Buther did not have enough damage to be dealing with insurance issues themselves, they are seeing it all around them -- especially for residents waiting for the OK from insurance to complete repairs, or those who received a low budget for repairs.

"Everybody's complaining, but I mean you're paying your premium every month, it makes you wonder, where did that money go?" Angel Buther said.

The Buthers' home near the Intracostal waterway was skipped over, but many of their neighbors were not so lucky.

"We felt almost guilty because all we lost were six shingles and some lattice," Yolanda Buther said.

But Angel Buther said the biggest problem after the storm was finding money to complete repairs and finding contractors to do them. On oceanfront property, especially, he said he could understand the frustrations with insurance payouts. Homeowner's insurance alone starts at $10,000 on the beach, and when premiums are that high, it doesn't seem fair to wait months on end for claims to be processed.

"My heart really goes out to these people, because they'll take your money quick enough, but they are not quick to pay you," Angel Buther said.

Like many year-round residents of North Topsail Beach, the Buthers are retired. Yolanda Buther said higher insurance rates after the storm were a problem for retired residents, especially those living on social security.

"They're using their retirement fund, if insurance goes up $200-$300 they can't afford that," she said.

Increased flood insurance

Not everyone was paying a premium, however, as many residents do not have flood insurance.

N.C. Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey previously told The Daily News less than 35,000 North Carolina residents have flood insurance, which is less than 1 percent of the state's population.

According to Marla Sink, deputy commissioner of communications for Causey's office, a total of 134,274 flood insurance plans were in place as of June 30. She wrote in an email to The Daily News updated statistics were not readily available due to the federal government shutdown.

Some of the lessons learned, even four months after the storm, include the need for flood insurance -- whether or not you live on a flood plain. Megan Hash, an insurance agent with Compass Insurance in Jacksonville, said it's advisable to purchase flood insurance no matter where you live.

"It's definitely cheaper to pay that premium than to have a total loss if your house were to flood and you had to replace everything," Hash said.

Still, she said, because flood insurance is separate from homeowner's insurance the added expense can deter many homeowners from purchasing it. And for some, rates can be as high as $480 per year.

Despite the cost, however, Hash said more people have been purchasing flood insurance after seeing the damages from Hurricane Florence or experiencing them firsthand. Many of these people, she added, do not live in a flood zone, meaning it is not required for them to purchase flood insurance.

According to previous reports, many areas not traditionally classified as flood plains, like Willie Kellum Road, saw extreme flash floods during the storm.

Struggling homeowners 'are not alone'

The Rossi family evacuated to the Raleigh area for about a week during the hurricane. When they returned home, the family knew they had some damage but initially had no idea of the extent of the water and wind damage from the storm. They believe a tornado or similar winds during the storm added damage to the home, such as a shift and cracks in the foundation of the house.

They walked in the first day and noticed places where the ceiling was beginning to sag and mold had started and knew there had to be some damage up in the attic. However, they didn't initially think they'd have to leave their home. Then they began getting sick as mold set in and the amount of damage sustained became more obvious.

Yet, Savanna Rossi said, they continue to fight for insurance money to cover full repairs. Work was done to gut the house and remove damaged drywall, flooring, and personal belongings that were left in a 5-foot-high debris pile in their front yard.

"I still cry when I see that photo of the debris," she said.

Savanna Rossi said they filed an initial claim within days and have done everything they've been told to do, but they still haven't been able to get what they need to get their home repaired.

She has learned a lot doing research over the past four months and talking to different agencies. The challenges for homeowners, she said, is they've never had to deal with recovery after a hurricane and dealing with insurance claims in such situations is complex. Homeowners don't always know the right questions to ask or what needs to be done.

"It's a combination of things," Savanna Rossi said. "I feel like we take one step forward and two steps back."

Savanna Rossi said she has felt guilty at times that she hasn't done everything that needs to be done to get her family back in their home, but it helps to know her family isn't alone and there are others dealing with more than they are.

"Knowing we are not alone gives us the means to keep fighting," she said.

She also has learned a lot from her son.

"He is one of those kids who always sees the bright side of everything and I try to be like him," she said.

Finding a four-leaf clover also helped.

Four months since Florence: At a glance

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Reporter Jannette Pippin can be reached at 910-382-2557 or [email protected]. Reporter Kelsey Stiglitz can be reached at 910-219-8453 or [email protected].

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