A Southwest Florida family is living with water dripping into their home and nearly all of their roof covered in tarp after Hurricane Irma ripped off hundreds of shingles.
RELATED: FEMA opens recovery center in Boynton Beach
They are concerned about how they'll pay for their repairs after they say the FEMA assistance they applied for was denied.
Justin Broome is a father of three who doesn't have homeowner's insurance.
His pool cage was completely destroyed, hundreds of shingles were ripped off his roof, and he's now dealing with leaks throughout his home.
"It was so loud in the house, you thought the house was coming apart," Broome said.
He said the sliding glass windows of his Lehigh Acres home were bowing toward the inside.
"My daughter, she's 13, and she's like 'Daddy, what are we going to do about the roof?' What do you say? 'I don't know, daddy can't afford it?'" Broome said.
Broome said he was relying on help from FEMA for the repairs. He said an agent came out to their home for an inspection, and says within 12 hours, he got an email back saying he was denied because there wasn't enough significant damage to the structure.
Four in Your Corner reached out to FEMA. A spokesperson said it can't discuss individual cases, but said people applying for "housing assistance" like Broome did must have a home that's unlivable. Broome also applied for "personal property assistance."
He's praying FEMA comes through with some type of help.
"How can I repair this home on my own? I can't do it without their help. I just can't do it," Broome said.
FEMA says if you do get denied assistance, it's likely because they need more information, or you may not be applying for the right kind of help. She says it is setting up Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams throughout areas affected by Irma.
