2 weeks Ago
One month after an EF-2 tornado touched down in Sipsey, many homes still have tarps on the roof and fallen trees in the front yard. Other homes were destroyed, and the community is working to rebuild. Michael Stephenson's childhood home was among the houses damaged by the storm.
"By the time I left the front porch and went through the door, the debris was hitting the house, and all you could hear was noise," he said. During the storm, water was quickly coming in to the house. Stephenson said he had to act fast to prevent further damage.
"This is where I had to drill the hole in the floor because the water was rising so deep in here," he said. One month later, he's still dealing with that damage, sifting through his belongings to decide what can be salvaged. "My mom, my dad, my stepdad, I got two brothers that passed away, and most of their personal stuff was in there, so trying to go through that, packing it up, that's the biggest damage is the heartbreak to it all," Stephenson said.
He had just finished remodeling the home, a process he plans to start over, in hopes of salvaging his childhood home. "You know, growing up in it and that's really why I'm even living here," Stephenson said. "My mom, she always wanted me to make sure I stayed here and took care of her place.
" That's why he's choosing to remodel. Before he can do that, he has to win the battle with his insurance. According to Stephenson, his insurance believes the damage isn't as bad as he claims.
We had a WVTM 13 crew walk through Stephenson's home with him to verify the damage he claims. "It's like a battle everywhere you turn to deal with the insurance companies," Stephenson said. "I thought when you paid them money for insurance, they're supposed to help you, not be your biggest enemy in trying to deal with all of it.
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