SANTA FE — Less than four weeks ago, Chris Treviño, who was forced to live in his garage with his three kids after Hurricane Ike, gave up all hope that the federal government would help him recover.
Now, he is singing the government’s praises after help came through.
“I’m telling you man, FEMA is for real. I’m proud to be an American this day,” Treviño said after receiving a check from FEMA to help repair his trailer.
After the hurricane tore the roof off his mobile home, Treviño used scrap and salvaged material from dumpsters to convert his garage into temporary housing for him and his 8-year-old and 18-year-old daughters and his 5-year-old son. The makeshift abode had no running water or any privacy, but it was a roof over the family’s head.
Treviño’s insurance company paid him $12,000 to make repairs and replace all he lost in the storm. The repairs to the trailer alone were to have been more than $25,000. And after the storm tore the roof off, Trevino lost everything inside, including his kids’ clothes and toys, not to mention the furniture and beds.
That left Treviño with little where else to turn.
At first, FEMA denied Treviño’s pleas for assistance. But the community also turned out to help.
Local churches and individuals donated clothes, toys and materials as Treviño worked to repair the trailer on his own.
Still, he was coming up short. The construction worker and part-time musician had to pick up construction jobs in order to get the extra money needed to make repairs.
Then, a blessing arrived in his mail on Saturday in the form of a FEMA check.
“I couldn’t believe it. I know I said a lot of negative things about them, but I got to give them praise when they do right,” Treviño said. “It’s true. FEMA does exist. You just got to keep bugging them.”
The check is just enough for Treviño to make the repairs needed to his home and have some money left over to get his kids some new clothes and maybe some toys.
While the federal agency admits its response to individual assistance for Ike victims has been less than stellar, FEMA officials said they have paid out more than $326 million to 715,000 recipients in Ike-related funds though its individual and household programs. The agency said last week, too, that it would be stepping up its assistance to individuals in need.
