NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Dozens of Slidell-area homeowners are braving stifling heat as they clean up and begin repairs after Thursday\u2019s storms. Many are worried about how they will cover the costs.<\/p>\n
In Eden Isles\u2019 Blackfin Cove, homeowners are confronting that uncertainty firsthand. Several homes are damaged, with many residents wondering what their insurance will and will not cover.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got structural damage, and everyone\u2019s arguing about the work they can do because it\u2019s not FEMA yet,\u201d said military veteran George Renaker.<\/p>\n
Renaker says he\u2019s facing a $20,000 insurance deductible, and without a federal emergency declaration, he\u2019s not sure he can rebuild.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t afford the rates being pushed on us and we\u2019re appealing to our senator or governor to declare this an emergency so we can get relief,\u201d said Renaker.<\/p>\n
Blackfin Cove appears to be among the hardest-hit streets from the remnants of Arthur, and contractors have been busy.<\/p>\n
St. Tammany emergency operations Director Clint Ory says 124 homes and businesses in St. Tammany suffered damage from what may have been two tornadoes. Until all assessments are complete, officials do not know whether the damage will warrant a disaster declaration and the benefits that follow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the public to help report the damage through damage.la.gov,\u201d said Ory.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service is still assessing whether the damage was caused by tornadoes.<\/p>\n
On the north side of Slidell, drainage remains a problem, and some Bellair residents, including Claire Reimoninq, complain that high water has prevented them from leaving their homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one\u2019s back here I\u2019m way in the back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As for the Bellair subdivision north of town, parish officials say the utility department will assess what can be done to speed up drainage there.<\/p>\n
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