WEST POINT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some Kentucky flood victims claim they’re being denied federal assistance, not because they weren’t impacted by the recent natural disasters, but because of where their mailbox happens to be.
Tommy Stucker lost two homes on Dixie Beach Road near West Point — one damaged by a tornado, the other by flooding. But despite the devastation, Stucker said he’s been told by FEMA that he does not qualify for aid.
“They said that my area was not under a disaster relief yet,” Stucker said.
Stucker’s property is technically in Jefferson County — just feet away from neighboring Hardin County, where residents are receiving FEMA assistance. When he steps into his front yard and calls 911, his call is routed to Hardin County. But when it comes to disaster relief, the line couldn’t be clearer.
“If I walk in the front yard and hit 911, I am in Hardin County. They have to redirect me back to Jefferson County,” Stucker said.
The bureaucratic red tape has left Stucker and his family — which includes his wife, six children and mother-in-law — in limbo.
“I was expecting to get help like everyone else was getting and was denied because I was a certain distance away,” he said. “It just kind of was like salt in the wound.”
Stucker said this isn’t the first time Dixie Beach Road has been overlooked during disasters. In 2018, a similar flood hit the area, but no federal declaration was issued for Jefferson County then, either.
“The same flood came through, and they never opened it up,” he said. “It’s because we’re Jefferson County, and not all of Jefferson County is impacted.”
In addition to flood damage, Stucker’s home was battered by a tornado, which tore off siding, gutters, and parts of the roof.
“I work for myself. Obviously, I can’t work right now because I’m trying to get our life back together,” he said. “All that stuff that I sat out to the street — I feel like they should come help me get rid of it. I can’t afford to get a dumpster.”
A FEMA spokesperson told WDRB News Tuesday that FEMA has not received approval to provide assistance to individual property owners in Hardin County.
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