LARGO, Fla. — The floodwaters have subsided at a Largo apartment complex, but the damage from Hurricane Debby is still wreaking havoc for dozens of people there impacted by the storm.
“Just give me a place until it's done, that's only fair,” said Kelly McLaughlin, whose after-storm aggravation is something that many people can undoubtedly relate to.
A week ago, Mclaughlin's unit at the Winding Lane Apartments in Largo was knee-deep in floodwater. Doors, furniture, drywall and more were ruined.
“I don't mean to complain,” she said. “But everything in my home as far as I am concerned is gone."
Now, McLaughlin feels like she's being victimized all over again.
She says her renters insurance told her since it was flood damage, and not from the storm itself — her policy won’t cover her claim.
“One part, it says if a spacecraft, if a spacecraft hits your place will cover it,” McLaughlin said referring to her policy. “If there's a riot in the streets and your windows, get broken will cover it. I don't know.”
Since the storm, Mclaughlin has been staying with a friend about 15 minutes away.
She says when she asked her complex management to put her up in a hotel or another unit while repair work was being done, they declined, referring to her renters insurance policy.
McLaughlin says she was told that if she felt uncomfortable, she was welcome to stay at the complex office during the day and then sleep in her apartment at night — describing her space as livable. Her bed and apartment are still filled with piles of waterlogged debris.
“Where am I supposed to sleep? Like, are you kidding me?” she said. “And then I got angry. Are you kidding me that I have to? She says that I can sleep in there. Where?”
On Monday, McLaughlin visited the leasing office to ask property managers to consider the extent of the damage.
The property manager told us they would work with Mclaughlin's insurance company — with whom others had successfully filed a claim — and look into the temporary availability of a vacant apartment.
“It’s just so hard, you know?” she explained. “There's so many applications. And it's taking like hours and hours each day. And I'm feeling up, it's just overwhelming.”
According to Florida law, a tenant is entitled to a dwelling fit to be lived in with working plumbing, hot water and heating. Structurally sound, reasonably secure and free of pests.
As for renters insurance, even at apartment complexes where it is required, belongings are likely not protected in a flood, according to legal experts. The only time renters insurance will most likely cover water damage, they say, is if the source comes from within the building such as a busted pipe.
Other than that, legal experts say damages likely need to be covered by a separate flood insurance policy.
Mclaughlin says she was advised by her complex to contact FEMA for help with her uninsured losses. But, 10 counties have been identified as being eligible for FEMA assistance related to Debby, and Pinellas County is not among them.