BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) – A Bartow man awaiting FEMA assistance has been living at a home with massive tree damage and no power for three weeks.
Hurricane Irma sent a massive tree through Jonathan Bonney’s roof that knocked out the power. The Army veteran, whose wife died a few years ago, said he has nowhere to go. It’s just him and his dog living in the house at 1250 Fairview Avenue.
Bonney doesn’t have insurance, but he applied for financial assistance from FEMA a couple weeks ago. He needs help paying the security deposit along with first and last month rent at an apartment he found.
Right now, he’s waiting for an inspector to come to his home. Bonney lives less than five minutes from the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Stuart Center in Bartow.
A FEMA official tells me that the waits for assistance are long, but they’re trying to get to everyone as quickly as possible. Hours of operation have been extended at the center due to high demand. The site manager says hundreds of people came in for assistance Tuesday.
The site manager says hundreds of people came in for assistance Tuesday.
The center is now open every day until further notice from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
After our interview with Mr. Bonney aired, a viewer reached out to let us know she created a GoFundMe page for the veteran. Click here to donate.
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