People struggling after FEMA pulls 25% discount

Ben and Kay Baker aren’t strangers to strong storms. They’ve experienced tornadoes and hurricanes, but Hurricane Ian was different from all of them.

Now, their flood insurance is going to go way up since FEMA made a decision to remove its 25% discount for flood insurance from areas of Lee County.

“Everything as far as furniture and anything we had was destroyed inside the home,” Ben Baker said.

The Bakers had about six and a half feet of water inside their Island Park home. They also lost their pontoon boat, camper, and a cargo trailer outside of their home.

When they went to check out the damage, they had to break down the door to get inside their home.

“The damage was quite significant,” Ben said. “We just kind of said, ‘Wow. This is unbelievable.'”

Their flood insurance covered a lot of the damage but not all of it. Some paperwork that would’ve helped them was washed away.

“We had a brand new stove, brand new refrigerator and a brand new dishwasher,” said Ben. “The flood insurance people said, ‘Well, without that documentation, we really can’t give you any money for it.'”

The FEMA decision directly impacts the Bakers and the Island Park community.

“What do I do if I can’t afford to live here?”, Ben asked. “We don’t have a fixed income because we prepared for retirement, but we don’t have money to throw away either.”

Especially when the Bakers will spend over $100,000 to finish remodeling their home.

“I just still don’t think we can afford it,” Ben said. “Simple as that.”

Ben told us his flood insurance is currently around $3,100.

His policy renews in September, and the FEMA discount is gone until October 1st.

He’s concerned he might have two rate hikes in a short amount of time.

We’ll keep you updated as we continue to learn more about FEMA’s decision.

If you are one of the many people who are feeling the weight of the discount being taken away, we want to hear from you. Email us at tips@winknews.com or click here.