Homeowners are still picking up the pieces in Louisa County after August's earthquake. Funds collected from community foundations, companies, and generous donors are finally getting into the hands of homeowners who are dealing with damage.
Thursday marks six months since the quake. That started months of paperwork and applications for homeowners. Now, three homeowners are the first to receive grants from a foundation that collected hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Louisa County rebuild.
Kim Duke's Roundabout Road home rocked on August 23. She stated, "Six months ago, it shook and it rattled and it moved."
The earthquake cracked drywall, left door frames crooked, and settled cinder blocks in the five-year-old home. Duke said, "I can see a visible wood frame wall in the back."
Four inspections added to the list of Duke's damage. The quake shifted the home two inches off its foundation. Crews are going to come in, lift this house up, rebuild the basement and foundation, and put the house back down.
"It's definitely going to be interesting," said Duke. "It'll be a process."
The damages left Duke with a $45,000 repair bill. She applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds and got a federal loan, but those still weren't enough.
"I just didn't know what I was going to do," Duke said.
That's where the Louisa Earthquake Recovery Fund comes in to fill the shortfall. Duke is one of the first homeowners to get a grant from the fund.
Howard Evergreen with the Fluvanna-Louisa Housing Foundation stated, "It's been very frustrating sitting on this large chunk of money - we've raised about $450,000 - knowing that people need help and not being able to offer it."
It's the next step in the county's recovery. Nine volunteer case managers are stepping in to help homeowners navigate the system.
"It takes some serious hand-holding," said Evergreen. "So, the case management people will be helping people understand that process and taking the steps they need."
Duke's repairs should only take about a month, after six months of waiting and wondering.
"I can get started," stated Duke. "I can get the house repaired. And I can stop coming home, looking at the cracks and the daily reminders of what has happened."
These foundation grants max out at $15,000. The Fluvanna-Louisa Housing Foundation is also applying for its own grant to help the hardest hit homeowners completely rebuild from the ground up. Click here for more information.
