Many households in east Dearborn are claiming they were denied by FEMA, despite severe flooding in their basements.

DEARBORN — Residents are left scrambling following the announcement last week that the city would not be held financially liable for the August 11 flood that impacted more than 10,000 homes. 

Despite the city’s persistence in informing residents to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds before the December 14 deadline, some households are claiming that they’ve received minimal to no financial assistance from the agency.

Local resident Waad Charara, an employee of The Arab American News, said her family was denied financial assistance after two separate basements at their home on Oakwood Blvd. suffered extensive damage following the heavy rainstorm.

Charara said she immediately filed a claim with FEMA after the city had urged her to do so. Within days, a FEMA representative came to the property to inspect the damages.

“The guy came and he flipped out when he was taking all the measurements— the water readings, and the mold readings,” Charara said. “He was basically telling us that everything was damaged. The wood panels needed to come out, the carpet, the furniture, everything.” 

Charara estimates that her property suffered more than $20,000 in damages as a result of the flood. At the time, the inspector made it seem promising that the family would be approved for financial assistance.

Within days, a second FEMA representative came to inspect the property and delivered the same message to family: The moldy basements were not up-to-par for living conditions, even after the family had purchased a new sump pump to drain out all the water. 

Charara said her family was surprised when they received a letter in the mail less than a week later that denied their claim. 

“When I called and asked why we were denied, they told me the inspector said that we didn’t need the money,” Charara said. “I felt like the man lied to us. He made promises that didn’t end up happening. The letter basically said that the basement was still a livable space and it wasn’t a danger to us.” Charara said her family is now in a bind following the city’s denial to compensate residents for damages as well. 

While the family has made several repairs to the two basements, they’ve also sealed their air vents due to fears that they are inhaling toxic mold.

“We are left with a moldy basement that we can’t afford to repair,” Charara said. “I don’t know what else to do. We have a build up of mold and it’s hazardous to our health.”

Charara said the majority of the residents on her block also suffered from the flood and none of them have received assistance, either.

“As far as I know, no one on my block received FEMA assistance,” Charara said. “I helped all of my neighbors fill out the forms and told them they would receive help, only to find out it would be a waste of our time.” 

On Wednesday, Dec. 17, a resident who lives on Barrie St. in east Dearborn visited The Arab American News office to express concerns about the lack of assistance neighbors on his block received from FEMA. He claimed the agency did an inspection on his home and determined that he would receive only $700, despite sustaining damages that amounted over $10,000. His neighbors were less unfortunate, with several of them being denied completely.

According to the latest figures provided by FEMA, the agency received 10,014 applications in Wayne County as of December 4. Only 2,093 of those applications were approved for financial assistance. Those figures don’t include residents who applied for assistance within the last 10 days of the deadline. 

Residents who live in rental homes have also gotten the short end of the stick. Approvals for FEMA assistance to rental properties are granted to the landlord instead of the tenants. That system may be problematic for renters who suffered extensive damages on personal items, because the homeowner is receiving the check and making the decisions on the repairs. 

Homeowner Nimer Jaffer, who resides on Monroe Street in West Dearborn, told The Arab American News that he was approved for $1,100 by FEMA, but is disappointed because it isn’t enough to compensate for the thousands of dollars in damages.

Jaffer was in Europe during the August 11 floods and had returned home to water sitting in his basement for more than two weeks. 

“I had to start working on the house right away,” Jaffer said. “I tore off the drywall and took out a lot of the support wood and had that replaced. I had to remove the carpet and put tile in the basement in case it happened again.”

Jaffer said he applied for FEMA after seeing Mayor Jack O’Reilly on TV urging residents to do so. 

While he was approved for assistance after an inspector came out to his property, he said he feels that city officials had deliberately referred residents to the agency because they had already decided they weren’t going to compensate them from the beginning.

“It just seemed like the city was just looking for a way to cover its own back,” Jaffer said.  “It’s kind of sad being that I’ve been a Dearborn resident all my life. I never would’ve imagined that they would treat us like this. Aren’t we the ones paying the taxes?”

Jaffer said FEMA also approved him for a low interest business loan, but he had to reject the offer because he’s still making monthly payments on his home and car.

“Not that I don’t appreciate what I got, I just don’t feel like I got the greatest deal here,” Jaffer added. “I’ve put forward at least $3,000 in material just to clean the basement and it cost me a pretty penny to fix the water tank. The city should be ashamed of themselves for saying it wasn’t their fault. It leaves a sour taste in your mouth.”