TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — On Stacey Drive in Hudson, Jill Bundrant went to sleep after Hurricane Idalia, thinking the worst had passed.
“Around 4 a.m., it started coming up to the little patio over the sea wall and we thought it was going to be okay, went back to bed. [Around] 7 a.m., woke back up and when I stepped out of bed, water was to my ankles,” Bundrant said.
Bundrant lives with her father, her daughter and her daughter’s husband and they all had to get out of the house fast.
“By the time we got the kennels in the vehicles and our bags, the water was up to our knees,” Bundrant continued. “I was carrying my dog to the vehicle, dropped him and he went under water and he had to swim.”
Water flooded her pickup truck as she drove out of her neighborhood. She returned after the storm to find the street flooded and homes damaged.
“I think it’s every single house from here, all the way up,” said Bundrant.
On Tuesday, representatives from FEMA went door to door on her street, offering to help people sign up for assistance.
“FEMA helps all that come to it that are in need of help,” said FEMA spokesman Troy York.
York says the federal agency offers a wide variety of programs to help people impacted by the storm.
“So, we take insured applicants, we take uninsured applicants, under-insured applicants, residential owners and renters as well,” said York.
He strongly urges people to sign up quickly for help.
“The first thing they can do is call the 800 number, which is 800-621-3362 or FEMA, or they can go online at disasterassistance.gov, and finally they can download the FEMA App,” York explained.
