MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Folks in Baldwin County are still picking up debris, tree limbs, and glass from their homes after an EF-1 tornado hit two weeks ago.
EMA services submitted a list of damages to the state in hopes of receiving federal aid money to help dozens affected.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha saw that some affected areas still had trees sitting on top of people’s homes.
EMA director Wayne Johnson says around 70 homes and several businesses were affected by the tornado's damage. He says that's a substantial amount of damage.
Jimmy Carry says he’s still reeling from the storm.
"A total disaster,” he says.
Carry has lived on North Wilkinson Street for 50 years. He says he was sleeping when the storm began.
"I heard hail hit, but I went back to sleep,” he explains.
Carry says that's when the tree in the backyard toppled onto his roof, just a couple of feet from where he was sleeping.
"Like a train,” he says. “The awning was damaged, the back room is smashed in, the kitchen is messed up and destroyed too.”
Carry says he's still living in the home because he has nowhere else to go. He says he applied for federal aid and hopes he qualifies.
"That's it, I need it. For the damages-- everything,” Carry says.
Just around the corner from Carry’s home, Martee Flournoi says several homes on his street are destroyed.
He's helping clean up the mess.
"Very tragic. Very, very, very tragic now,” he says.
Flournoi says he stays with his family members, who own several homes there. They reached out to the county for help, but damages to their homes will add up.
"It's really about $350,000, probably,” he says.
EMA director Wayne Johnson says they've been collecting a list of damaged homes and businesses to apply for federal aid money.
"I would love for the citizens to receive some type of help,” Johnson says. "When you say 70-plus homes and a minimum 30 to 40- plus businesses that were affected, I would say that's substantial,” Johnson explains.
He says they're trying to qualify for disaster aid in two categories:
- Public Assistance– made for the restoration of businesses.
- Individual Assistance– made for housing, replacing furniture, construction.
"We are expecting to hear something back from them as soon as possible. Both of these categories have to meet a minimum threshold. It is determined by the federal government if it is enough damage to declare a disaster,” Johnsons says.
He says he hopes the aid comes, because not everybody has the insurance to recover from some of the damages.
Johnson says he hopes folks will take the storm warnings seriously every time.
He says isn’t sure if they’ll qualify for aid just yet.
If you have damage to your home and would like assistance, you can call (478) 414-4052 to report to the EMA.