FEMA denies aid for flood-damaged second home in Waterville

WATERVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Jennie Johnson and her family thought they had found paradise when they bought a small blue cabin on the shores of Lake Tetonka this spring.

But just weeks after closing, historic flooding in Waterville pushed nearly four feet of water into their home. The situation was so bad, Johnson couldn't reach the cabin for weeks. 

Their dream come true is now covered in black mold with the majority of their belongings destroyed.

Johnson says they were counting on insurance and disaster relief to help pick up the pieces but were shocked when their application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance was denied because the cabin is their second home.

READ MORE: FEMA opens two offices in southern MN to assist residents in flood-impacted areas

"[The application] basically just says we don't have anything for you," said Johnson. 

FEMA only offers disaster relief for damage to people's primary residences. Their flood insurance will only cover a small portion of the damage, too.

"Everything we were hoping to be able to help us through this is denying us because we have a second home, so we feel like we are being punished for being smart with our money," said Johnson, who has heard from nearly a dozen other nearby homeowners who are in the same spot as her family.

The cost of cleaning up and rebuilding will be so great, she's debating whether their family should just walk away from it all.

"Do we just walk away and take on losing our down payment, and probably $50,000 to $100,000 left on our mortgage and just pay that off and start all over?" said Johnson. 

FEMA recently opened two offices to help the public with disaster assistance. One opened in Waterville on Friday and another in Faribault opened on Saturday morning.

People can apply for assistance in person or online at disasterassistance.gov.