Hurricane Helene disaster assistance eludes Fulton County

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Hundreds of families in Fulton County are still picking up the pieces after record rainfall led to flash flooding in parts of Buckhead as Helene moved through Atlanta last month. Many are frustrated they're not able to get any disaster assistance.

Elisabeth Anderson was holding her newborn baby when she, her husband and two dogs were rescued from the floodwaters on Bohler Road.

"It was very scary. I think it took probably five days for just the shock to wear off," Anderson said.

Before she knew it, water from Peachtree Creek was rising fast toward her home. That's when she knew they had to get out.

"We start driving out, and I guess the creek crested as we were leaving and so the car stalled and there were, it seemed like, rapids all around us," she explained.

She and her husband called 911 and got their two dogs and newborn baby on top of the car. Firefighters set up a rope system to get them out.

"Thankfully I had on a headlamp and I turned it to flashing as a distress signal while we were on top of the car as well, so that they could more easily see us through the rain and the dark of night," she said.

Now they're staying with relatives as they begin to rebuild. She said their insurance does not cover flood damage.

So many others along Peachtree Creek are in similar situations, having lost everything.

"Everything you worked for is gone, and you hope that you'll be compensated and able to get back in and rebuild to the capacity that makes the house safe," Alexandra Nett said.

With Fulton County not part of the major disaster declaration for Georgia, they're also not able to get federal assistance.

RELATED: 8 additional counties now eligible for federal help after Hurricane Helene

"I tried to apply for it, and that's when I learned the county wasn't on the list," Megan Buzzard said. "[It] blew my mind because my whole neighborhood is wrecked."

"You're talking about $40,000 before your insurance funds are released, so if we get this disaster status, that comes quicker for people who need it," Nett explained. "Some people won't be able to get started without that."

"I know there's a lot of people in a lot of areas that have it much worse than we do. We have our family, thank God, and we do have a home we can eventually go back to that's being rebuilt. But, it would make a big difference," Anderson added.

GEMA told FOX 5 that in order to be added to the disaster declaration, the first step is for residents to report damage to the county emergency management agency. The county offices then coordinate with the state for further assistance. They also provided FOX 5 Atlanta with a full explanation of the process.