ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — It's been almost two months to the day since tornadoes from Hurricane Milton touched down in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.
Kathy Kish and her husband Barry Lamb lived in the hard-hit Spanish Lakes community where six people were killed on Oct. 9. They're struggling to get help from FEMA.
“You’re on the queue, you’re on the queue, you’re on the queue, you’re on the queue," said Kish.
That’s what she's been told time and time again by FEMA representatives.
“I’ve been to the centers three times and I've called them every single day since Oct. 17," said Kish.
The couple has been displaced since a tornado destroyed their home in early October. Cellphone video shows the moment Barry was swept off his feet.
“Storm kept coming towards me and then it opened up and threw from here into here, and threw me up against the wall here,” recalled Lamb.
Now, they spend their days in a Port St. Lucie hotel room. It’s where they’ve been the last two weeks.
"My stove, my dishwasher, my washing machine and dryer — don’t have access to it," said Kish.
They’ve waited almost two months for FEMA to inspect the damages so they can get some financial help.
“FEMA has done everybody here except for us now,” said Lamb. “Without FEMA to come here and give us money we can’t move into a new house. We need this money to move on.”
"They forgot us," added Kish.
They say they missed the initial inspection because they were staying with family in Pensacola. Despite multiple attempts to get FEMA to return, they’re still waiting.
"This was not chosen, we didn't choose this, the tornado did, and FEMA is for disaster, so come in and make the second visit," Kish said.
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WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia contacted FEMA. A spokesperson told her they could not discuss this specific case, but they would work to connect them with resources.
The loss of their home is hitting them harder than ever as they head into the holiday season.
"I see everybody else and how happy they are. I had that once. I don’t have it now. I don’t have no home," Kish said.
The couple is desperate for progress. They're hoping to find a new home soon.
