SAND SPRINGS, OK (KJRH) — An army of volunteers showed up to help Town and Country neighbors muck out their flooded homes, but save some dumpsters and heavy machinery, the neighborhood now sits empty. Neighbors say as hard as the cleanup process has been, the harder work is going to be rebuilding.
As the piles of debris were taken away in dumpsters, homes in Town and Country have been left empty, without insulation, walls, or wiring.
Most people, like neighbor Lisa Renfrow, don’t have flood insurance, or the thousands of dollars needed to begin repairs.
“Because I have stage four colon cancer," Renfrow said, "most of our savings goes toward my medical bills.”
Renfrow only got a few thousand dollars from FEMA to replace everything in her home, and her family needs help in beginning to make it livable again. That’s where she’s asking for help, in the form of donations like sheetrock, and people to help put it up.
"Our friends are exhausted. Bless their hearts," Renfrow said, "they’ve helped us so much and we don’t want to think we can’t help ourselves, but we do need a little help.”
Tulsa Emergency Management (TAEMA) is working with the county to put together a long-term recovery committee. The committee aims to help neighbors like Lisa, who didn’t have insurance and aren’t getting much aid.
Meanwhile, on June 20 neighbors will learn what the next steps are for their homes. A meeting will provide a place for families to receive the evaluations of their homes, and experts will outline what they need to do to begin rebuilding.
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