Kathy Miller and partner Linda Martin are stuck in a waiting game they never thought they would play.
“We just don’t know what we’re going to do,” Miller said. “We’re kind of just floundering here.”
Their home in Treasure Island flooded for the first time during Hurricane Helene.
Linda Martin Now, there are several questions they and many others want answered: Can they repair their home? If so, when? And if not, what will they do next?
“I don’t want to answer that now,” Martin said.
In a Wednesday night meeting at Treasure Island City Hall, a panel composed of FEMA workers, city staff members, and representatives from the Florida Division of Emergency Management explained FEMA’s 50% rule.
If you’re in a special flood hazard area, the rule prevents you from making repairs to your home if it’s substantially damaged
It’s substantially damaged if the repairs it needs equal or exceed 50% of your home’s value.
If your home meets that threshold, you either have to elevate or tear down and rebuild.