Lots of Questions at Monday Night Meeting with Flood Victims

Hundreds of residents affected by last week's flooding showed up at a meeting on Monday night organized by the City of La Grange at Casino Hall.

City manager Shawn Raborn fielded questions such as if and when the impacted mobile home parks will reopen, and how flood victims can get assistance.

Here are a few highlights from the meeting:

• In order to qualify for FEMA assistance, at least one member of an impacted household must have a social security number. Several residents asked questions through an interpreter whether they could get any aid if they did not meet this requirement. City manager Shawn Raborn said those residents could receive aid from local relief efforts such as the La Grange Ministerial Alliance's disaster relief fund. People can donate to that fund at LGrelief.com.
• FEMA officials are set up at Randolph Recreation Center, 653 E. Pearl Street. The officials are meeting with impacted residents from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will remain in La Grange "as long as they are needed," Raborn said. Several of the impacted gave conflicting reports of their experiences with FEMA officials in La Grange. One woman said she reported yearly income of $20,000 and was told she made too much money for assistance. Raborn promised residents that he would "become an expert in FEMA because I want to be your voice."
• Raborn said he will meet with the owners of the impacted mobile home parks on Wednesday to form a plan for the future of the neighborhoods. "FEMA, I suspect, will not invest back into the floodplain," Raborn said.
• The property manager for Country Way Village and Oaks 1 and 2, Lance Solomon, said his company was waiving lot rentals for the month of September. No word yet on who will be responsible for removing the destroyed trailers, Raborn said the City will apply for FEMA funding to help pay for the cleanup.
• Judging by the residents' questions, the biggest immediate need seems to be housing. One man said the hotel he was staying at told him he'd have to leave his room by Sept. 21 because all the rooms were booked for the upcoming antiques fair in Warrenton and Round Top. "We are staying in a hotel and we're running out of funds. Where can we get assistance," asked another resident. Raborn said the City was developing an inventory of available housing in the area. City staff passed out questionnaires before the meeting and Raborn asked those residents to write down their needs so that he could match them with available housing.