40-Plus East Brewton Families Told to Leave Isaias-Damaged Wynnchase Apartments by Oct. 20

EAST BREWTON, Ala. — More than 40 East Brewton families at Wynnchase Apartments have been told to move out by Oct. 20 after Hurricane Isaias left their units with roof and water damage that management says makes them uninhabitable, and the town’s mayor says finding them somewhere to live is now East Brewton’s most pressing storm problem.

Residents said they were called into the complex office on Tuesday, Oct. 13, four days after the storm, and handed seven-day notices to leave the property.

“On the 13th of October, we were called into the office to get a seven-day notice to leave the property,” said resident Kristina Peterson.

‘We heard water hitting the floor’

Peterson said she first realized something was wrong in her three-bedroom apartment as Isaias blew through East Brewton on the night of Friday, Oct. 9. Water came in through light fixtures and around the windows, and eventually through the ceiling.

“We were in my bedroom, and we heard water hitting the floor,” Peterson said.

According to management, roof and water damage at Wynnchase has left her home and others in the complex unlivable. Days after the storm, the notices followed.

‘That’s not enough time’

Residents said a week is far too short to find a new home, especially in a county where many houses and apartments were damaged by the same storm and where power and road access are still being restored.

“That’s not enough time for anyone to find somewhere to live,” said resident Jennifer McCants. “It’s just like they just putting us out on the streets, and we just on our own.”

Peterson put it more simply: “I don’t know where we go from here. What do we do?”

Mayor: Town is doing ‘remarkably well,’ except for housing

East Brewton Mayor Joey Shell said that almost a week after the storm, the town is doing remarkably well overall, with one big exception: finding places for the roughly 40 families to live.

“They gave them a seven-day window at the apartments, so hopefully we can get them somewhere, cause a lot of people are concerned about it, including myself. It’s a bad situation,” Shell said.

Earlier in the week, Shell said one of his biggest worries was an apartment complex where 40 to 50 families would be displaced, many with school-age children, and that they had about seven days to find new places to live.

Temporary housing ideas, but FEMA help still pending

Shell said he hopes temporary housing can eventually be set up for displaced families and that the town has already identified possible locations.

“We got some places laid out already, some older trailer parks that we think we could bring them in because we have sewage and electricity already there,” he said.

The holdup, according to Shell, is federal assistance. Escambia County and several other Alabama counties are still waiting on a decision about FEMA aid. While those conversations continue, the families at Wynnchase are scrambling to line up their own housing before the Oct. 20 deadline.

How federal disaster housing help works

Federal help for individual households, known as FEMA Individual Assistance, is not automatic after a hurricane. The process generally begins locally:

• Damage assessments: County emergency management agencies and state teams document damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure. In parts of southwest Alabama, state crews have been going house to house to gather that information.
• State request: If damage exceeds what state and local governments can handle, the governor can ask the president for a major disaster declaration.
• Federal decision: If a declaration is approved and includes Individual Assistance for a county, residents there can apply for help that may include rental assistance, temporary housing and grants for repairs.

Gov. Kay Ivey has extended Alabama’s state of emergency for 14 more days to give officials time to finish damage assessments and seek federal relief. Until a decision is made, families in Escambia County are relying on local governments, churches, relief groups and their own networks.

Part of a hard week for Escambia County

Escambia County has been described by state and local officials as the hardest-hit county in Alabama after Isaias, which made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane and sent damaging winds far inland. Trees blocked roads across Brewton and East Brewton, hundreds of power poles were broken, and Brewton imposed a nightly curfew as crews worked to clear streets and restore power.

In East Brewton, Shell has credited city employees, Water Board workers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and volunteers with clearing almost all of the town’s streets within about 12 hours of the storm. Relief groups including World Central Kitchen have served hot meals in East Brewton, and other organizations have set up distribution sites around Brewton.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office had earlier reported that storm damage forced apartment residents in East Brewton out of their homes, along with damage to several mobile homes in the county.

What displaced renters can do now

Renters facing a move after storm damage have several places to turn for help:

• Call 211: The Alabama Emergency Management Agency has directed residents with unmet needs to call 211, which connects callers with local relief and housing resources.
• American Red Cross: The Red Cross helps people displaced by disasters with shelter, supplies and casework. Call 1-800-RED CROSS.
• Legal help: Legal Services Alabama provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income residents and can answer questions about leases, security deposits and notices to vacate.
• Keep records: Save copies of the lease, any notice from management, photos of damage to the unit and personal belongings, and receipts for moving or lodging costs. Those records may be needed if federal assistance becomes available or if questions arise about rent or deposits.
• Renters insurance: Tenants who carry renters insurance should contact their insurer, since many policies cover damaged belongings and additional living expenses when a home becomes unlivable.
• Stay in touch with the town: Residents can contact East Brewton City Hall for updates on any temporary housing the town is able to arrange.

Families with children who must move may also want to contact their school system about transportation and enrollment, since federal law protects the school stability of students who lose their housing.

For now, the residents of Wynnchase are counting down to Oct. 20 with few clear answers about where they will go next.