WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Lucy, who wants to be identified by her first name, is fighting for her life and for a place to live. Yet if you met the spunky West Palm Beach woman on the street, you'd never know.
WATCH BELOW: 'Please help me! I’m begging you, FEMA,' Lucy says
“I’m a warrior. I’m a warrior. That’s what I am," Lucy told Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey.
We met her outside of Good Samaritan Medical Center, on a bench by the Intracoastal. It's the only place she's able to truly rest, breathe and pray for strength she's not sure she has left.
"I always come here. Almost every day, it’s very soothing," said Lucy.
First came the cancer—a devastating diagnosis of metastatic melanoma. She's been battling it for 11 years.
“I lost my ear," Lucy told Investigative Reporter, Kate Hussey. “It just continued to spread, you couldn’t keep track.”
Then came the fire.
A Palm Beach County Fire Rescue report confirmed an electrical fire tore through her West Palm Beach home on Oct. 14, 2024.
Lucy said firefighters traced it back to Hurricane Milton, when wind knocked a tree branch into her home, causing a leak, which Lucy said caused the electrical short that sparked the blaze.
Medical records show Lucy and her son were taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters worked to save the structure, but it's still barely standing. Her kitchen is charred, her belongings are blackened, her walls and ceilings are exposed, and the air still carries the stench of smoke.
"It was our home," said Lucy, choking back tears. "And I don’t accept it. I want to go home. I'm not accepting it. It was my castle."
But for eight months, she hasn’t been able to.
With no insurance and no backup plan, Lucy applied for FEMA assistance by Oct. 17, 2024 desperate for help with rent, a roof and relief from bills that kept stacking up.
Her son's ER visit bill was $151. Her's was another $1,500. Yet, the biggest blow was her home repairs. Firefighters estimated at least $20,000 in damage, and contractors estimated repairs would cost $34,000 to $36,000.
All the while, any savings and income she had are swallowed by cancer treatments and the nearly thousand dollars a month she pays for a plot she can't even live on.
"Every month it comes out of my social security, $900 some to them. For what?" said Lucy. “My deductible for every time I get radiation is $395, my chemo is $3,000 a month.”
Lucy's FEMA portal shows a representative inspected her property on Oct. 26, 2024.
“She said, ‘Oh God, this is terrible,’ and she reported it as a total loss," said Lucy.
Yet in February, FEMA sent her a letter denying help, claiming her home was "safe to live in."
"Habitable?" asked Lucy. "Are you crazy?"
A second letter denied medical assistance for her emergency room visit, citing "insufficient substantiation," even after she uploaded 45 different documents to prove her case.
“I did everything. There’s people out there that didn’t. They didn’t fill out their papers, they didn’t show proof of this, that, or the other," said Lucy. "I’ve done everything — within 24 hours. I log on every single day."
Lucy said FEMA did give her a little over $2,500 in rental assistance, but that paid for one month in a camper: $1,300 for that, and another $1,300 for the lot.
Lucy applied for continued temporary housing assistance, but wasn't approved for that either, because the agency said they needed a legitimate lease, which Lucy doesn't have, just a letter from her landlord.
Lucy appealed, but so far, nothing's changed. Medical assistance? Still denied. Disaster and rental assistance? Still pending.
“I want to go home, don’t you understand that?” said Lucy, desperately.
For eight long months she's waited, and slept in her car almost the entire time, even amid a cancer-related surgery.
“Lucy, where have you been living ever since the fire?” Hussey asked.
“Cracker Barrel parking lot, multiple Home Depot parking lots, Lowe’s parking lot," said Lucy.
It wasn't until May 21, a Good Samaritan lent her a camper, but that too is gone at the end of this week. Friday, she'll be back on the street—scared, exhausted and desperate.
"Where am I going to go? Where am I going to go? Where can I go?" asked Lucy.
“Lucy, why did you reach out to us?” asked Hussey.
"I want my story to get out there. I just hope that it falls on the right ears," said Lucy.
So, we made sure it did. Hussey took her and her son's case straight to FEMA to ask why they're still waiting for help.
"The disasters we are working is not just one hurricane," said Public Affairs and Media Specialist Lindsay Tozer.
Tozer said the combination of hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton hitting just months apart prompted hundreds of thousands of FEMA claims, and longer wait times for people like Lucy.
"Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to speak specifically to this family, but thank you for bringing it to our attention," said Tozer, "because we have been able to forward it on to two additional areas to look into."
The same day we spoke to Tozer, Lucy told us she got a call from FEMA, the first call she said she's gotten from the agency since filing a claim.
The next day, the status of her assistance application changed from pending to under review. Days later, Lucy said she got a second call from FEMA. That caseworker approved another FEMA inspector to come to the home to inspect the damage, but that was a week ago, and still no one's come nor set a date.
We reached back out to FEMA again. The agency again responded back, telling Lucy they'll once again follow up with the individual assistance team.
Lucy then told us she got a call from FEMA's congressional unit and is in the "expedited order for review."
Yet time is running out. And so is Lucy's hope.
“Please help me! I’m begging you, FEMA. Look at all my documents. I’ve turned everything in," said Lucy. "Please, please — I beg of you. I pray for it every night."
WPTV will continue to follow Lucy’s case and push for answers from FEMA. She has another cancer-related surgery scheduled for July.
Currently 32,700 FEMA assistance applications in Florida are still pending, and the agency said that's mostly, because of missing documentation.
Survivors who were deemed ineligible can still move forward by submitting an appeal that includes a signed letter explaining their situation along with any supporting documentation. Appeals must be submitted within 60 days of the date on their FEMA determination letter.
For FEMA to provide aid, survivors must prove:
- Identity
- Home Ownership
- Occupancy at the time of the storm
According to the agency, this applies to both homeowners and renters. Without official documents verifying these details, FEMA said they are unable to process assistance— no matter how great the need.
If you’re facing similar delays with FEMA assistance and want to share your story, email us at investigates@wptv.com.
