ABC7 I-Team helps woman with collapsed roof, flooded basement get $3.4K FEMA payment after 2 denials

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A local woman says her roof collapsed after repeated storms, leaving her home in disrepair and her basement flooded.

Wynette Pleas was denied some Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, but she ended up getting some financial relief after reaching out to the ABC7 I-Team.

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Pleas' West Pullman home has a collapsed roof and severe water damage.

"I mean, we had like four or five different times that it rained, and it's torn really bad. And that's the result from up here," Pleas said.

Pleas said storms over the past few years also caused a flooded basement.

The floods destroyed her furnace, so there is no heat. She says the home is no longer livable.

"We lost a lot of stuff that was down here," Pleas said.

Pleas and her son, who has disabilities, have been living in a hotel for more than a year.

Pleas applied for funding through FEMA, but she says she reapplied after being was turned down twice for various reasons.

In one letter, FEMA said the damage "did not make your home unsafe to live in." In another letter, FEMA said it could not release funds, as she was waiting on an answer from insurance. And a third request had been pending.

"I definitely believe I qualify. Three people came. The first two, I mean, I walked around with them, showed them the damages. They denied it the first time. The second time. The third time, the young man came, he was from Arizona. He checked everything, and he had some kind of checker that measured water damage. He saw everything," Pleas said.

Despite the inspections, she was being denied federal funding until the I-Team got involved. After our email inquiries, she was approved for $3,400 for personal property, miscellaneous items and a small amount designated for damage.

"I'm so happy. I'm so grateful. I'm so thankful. So, if it weren't for you all, we wouldn't even have that little money. And I'm grateful. I'm grateful and I'm thankful," Pleas said.

But she says even with some insurance money, it has not been enough to make all of the needed repairs and cover her hotel costs after repeated storm damage.

"There's mold downstairs, the whole inside from the laundry area to the second bathroom, all the tiles came down," Pleas said.

FEMA sent a statement to the I-Team, saying, "Due to Privacy Act concerns, we cannot publicly discuss details of an applicant's case. We've sent this case to our applicant services team to research and handle any follow-up directly with the applicant."

FEMA also said it has provided more than $486 million in assistance to just under 133,000 individuals in Cook County, through three disasters, since 2023.

Pleas says her insurance, State Farm, paid her $5,000 after a previous storm in 2022. But then, she said, she was dropped by her insurance company in January 2024 after a second storm damage claim.

"They did come out. One of them came up on the roof and after that, they dropped the policy. Nobody ever came back again," Pleas said.

State Farm told the I-Team it does not discuss individual policies but provided a statement, saying it "values the relationships we have with our customers, and that is why underwriting decisions are never made lightly. Many factors are considered when underwriting a homeowners insurance policy because each customer's circumstances are unique." The insurer said many factors are considered when assessing policies, including location "relative to natural hazards, property conditions, and past claim history."

Pleas says she is now stuck without insurance or the money she needs to get back in her home.

"We still can't live in our home. The heating system is messed up, and we can't live here. So, we are still out of money," Pleas said.

She can still appeal FEMA's decision, but that process can take months. As for insurance, without homeowners' coverage, she may have to seek assistance through the Illinois FAIR Plan. That is an insurance option for those who cannot get insurance in the standard market.