At about 2:30 a.m. on July 6, 2025, Jameka Autry awoke to a frantic call from her neighbor. Floodwater had pooled into their house, they said, and Autry and her mother, Winona, needed to leave fast in case their home was next.
Autry, still half asleep, opened the back door of her house on Peppercorn Street.
“There was no porch. There were no steps. We were literally surrounded by water and couldn’t get out,” she said. After dialing 911 twice, Autry and her mother were rescued by boat before the floodwaters rushed into their home. The next day, it was gutted. Overwhelmed by repair costs, she and Winona had to sell the house in November…