Tri County Wildfire Victims Still Working to Rebuild
KHOU - HOUSTON—Diana Ballard had hoped to have a Christmas tree and nativity scene all set up by now.
The problem is, she doesn’t even have a home—not yet, at least.
The Tri-County Fires destroyed her home in the Remington Forest Subdivision in Waller County in September. Fifty-five homes were burned to the ground in the neighborhood. Another 24 were badly damaged.
These days, several empty lots still dot the subdivision.
But some new homes have already gone up, and there are FEMA trailers, too. Greg Brumbaugh and his family are staying in one of the modular homes.
The 50-year-old’s home was not insured, and life has been tough.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my wife smile,” he said.
Brumbaugh said FEMA funds and contributions from friends will help him rebuild. The agency said 325 families have applied for assistance so far. The application deadline is January 6, 2012.
More than $600,000 has been paid out to wildfire victims.
Ballard said she’s getting some of that money and hopes to start building in a few weeks.
Still, it will be a while before life gets back to normal in Remington Forest.
Homeowners knew starting over would take a while. But that’s OK, they said, despite the fire danger. They love living there, and don’t want to move anywhere else.
