Ormond Beach homeowners wait for FEMA funding after flooded four times in six years

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Homeowners in an Ormond Beach neighborhood say their homes have flooded four times in the last six years--Hurricanes Irma, Ian, Nicole and Milton.

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Nine Investigates reported in February that some homeowners claim FEMA is wasting thousands of dollars by throwing money toward renovations instead of flood mitigation.

Homeowners say they’ve applied for FEMA grants to have their homes elevated or even demolished.

Bruce and Lisa Chiarizzi said they’ve been waiting for action from FEMA since 2018.

While waiting, the Chiarizzis said they were losing everything repeatedly.

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“How many times can you rebuild your home and not get tired,” Bruce Chiarizzi said.

Milton left three feet of flood water in their homes Thursday. It was only a few inches less than Ian, Chiarizzi said.

As the flood waters receded around the Tomoka River Monday, piles of debris grew around the homes. Most of the cabinets and furniture in the pile are less than two years old.

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“All gone. All brand new when we bought it,” Bruce Chiarizzi said.

It was the same story at their neighbor’s home. Marilyn Root showed us her new appliances and furniture, which were destroyed yet again by flood waters.

She and her husband have lived in the home for nearly 50 years. They never saw their home flood until Hurricane Irma in 2018.

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Each time it floods, they say the waters take thousands of dollars worth of belongings, manpower, and some things that you just can’t put a price on.

“Memories. Pictures. Everything we love and care about is in our home,” Chiarizzi said.

Since Irma, the Chiarizzis have gone through at least two rounds of FEMA applications to get their home lifted. They were never selected. The Chiarrizzis said FEMA told them they weren’t in a flood zone despite being flooded repeatedly.

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“Thank you, FEMA, for denying our house raising. We are not in a flood zone as you declare,” Lisa Chiarizzi said standing in flood water outside her home after Hurricane Nicole.

Instead, the Chiarizzis say FEMA has paid them roughly $200,000 to renovate and rebuild--all for it to be washed away.

“We want to move on in life,” Lisa Chiarizzi said.

For nearly the past two years, the Chiarizzis have waited for another FEMA application. They applied to have their home acquired and demolished. The application has made it past the county and state levels but now awaits the federal government’s final decision.

As the Chiarizzis wait to hear whether FEMA will take action, they say they feel trapped.

They say each flood is more expensive and more heart-wrenching than the last.

“We can’t abandon the property because our life savings are in the building. Even the contents that are in the building,” Bruce Chiarizzi said. “Let us go! Don’t hold us hostage.”

Nine Investigates contacted FEMA on Monday, but the agency did not answer our questions.

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