Sand Springs Man Turns To FEMA After Flood Leaves Home Unlivable

With few options and a long recovery ahead of him, the Sand Springs man is turning to FEMA for help.<br/><br/>

Friday, June 14th 2019, 5:53 pm

By: Jonathan Cooper

Sand Springs Man Turns To FEMA After Flood Leaves Home Unlivable

Ed Langston's home is now unlivable.

"It's flooded, 52 inches of water in it,” he says.

With few options and a long recovery ahead of him, the Sand Springs man is turning to FEMA for help.

"The flood insurance will take care of the home, but I'm trying to take care of somewhere to live,” said Langston.

Langston is one of many Sand Springs residents who showed up to the first day of FEMA's disaster recovery center.

FEMA opened the center at the Case Community Center at 7 Friday morning and plans to run it 7 days a week until further notice.

"Not everybody who knows FEMA is here, has taken advantage yet,” said Scott Sanders, a representative with FEMA.

Sanders said the center acts kind of like a one-stop shop, meaning natural disaster victims in one of 17 declared counties can get resources all in one place.

"Some people really need that one-on-one connection just to kind of walk them through that,” said Sanders. “People aren't really familiar with disaster assistance."

One of those resources is from the Small Business Administration.

"Congress has asked the SBA to provide low-interest federal disaster loans to not just businesses but also to homeowners and renters as well,” said David Reetz with SBA.

Homeowners like Langston say they're exploring all resources available because he's in a pricey rented house while his is being fixed.

"I rented a bed and I rented a chair and I rented a house so I'm coming home to a rented house sitting in a rented chair, sleeping in a rented bed. That's all I got,” said Langston.

A similar center has been set up at Fort Gibson High School. The centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Jonathan Cooper

Jonathan Cooper is the weekend evening anchor and reporter for News on 6. He is no stranger to Oklahoma, working for the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City for the past three years.

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