WAYCROSS, Ga. — As people hang holiday decorations outside their homes, many homes in Waycross are still covered in tarps months after Hurricane Helene swept through the area, leaving behind damage in its wake.
“I wasn’t crazy enough to think it would be probably done by Christmas,” said Reba Smith.
Her house in Waycross looks different this Christmas. She, like many of her neighbors, is still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene.
“Definitely a stronger sound than I’ve ever heard before,” Smith added.
In a matter of minutes, the two trees that used to stand tall in her front yard were suddenly inside of her home.
“Right above the bed where we would have been, a limb had come through and broken through the sheetrock, and it was, you know, rain was coming in,” Smith said.
Hurricane Helene was a storm that not only left behind destruction, but also confusion about what to do next.
“As a person who’s not a contractor by nature, that’s kind of a disadvantage for me because that’s not something I do,” Smith said.
Smith and her neighbors have been on and off the phone with their insurance companies and contractors, many of them waiting weeks just for a callback. A trend Kelly Gaskins with FEMA says they’ve seen throughout southern Georgia.
“Contractors are backlogged and overwhelmed with the amount of work that they’ve been receiving," said FEMA Public Information Officer Kelly Gaskins. "Insurance companies are experiencing a backlog as well."
She added that many residents in communities like Waycross still haven’t applied for FEMA, but there’s still time to get assistance.
Even if they’re like Smith and still haven’t received a settlement from her insurance company because of the backlog, they can still apply.
“By the January 7 deadline, your application will be in our system to receive potential assistance after you receive your settlement letter from your insurance company. We can see if there are any gaps in your coverage, and we can assist you,” Gaskins said.
FEMA hopes to close cases like Smith's so she gets another step closer to getting her house feeling like home again.
The fastest way to apply is through DisasterAssistance.gov. Anyone can also apply through the FEMA mobile app or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.