Lisbon family stuck waiting for FEMA money

Chris and Crystal Lind had aspirations of building a family in Lisbon when they bought this 1920's starter house more than two years ago.

CRYSTAL LIND: "The American dream coming true for us."

A home that sits about 10 feet away from a river that destroyed parts of the city in last year's flood.

CRYSTAL: "We had been told by everybody that this house had never had any water in it."

These two newlyweds and their daughter found themselves battling, hard, to keep their lives in tact.

CRYSTAL: "It was terrifying!"

Chris was re-surfacing this back wall when he noticed water trickling in. And within one day, the water got up to three feet high. A year later, massive "feet-long" cracks, a dangerously shifted foundation, and the smell of mildew still fill this flood ravaged basement. And it's not by choice that's it's stayed like this, but because they've been told FEMA has run out of money for flood buyouts.

CRYSTAL: "We don't really want to fix it up because what if it floods every year or what if they are going to eventually buy us out? We would never get reimbursed for the improvements that we did do!"

If they walked away from this house, they'd still have 40-thousand dollars to pay on it. Right now, all they can do is wait for FEMA to come up with the money. And right now, that time frame is yet to be seen.

All 17 Lisbon homes on the buyout list have not gotten money. Another blow to the Lind family: husband Chris was laid off last year in a round of layoffs at Bobcat, but since then, he's gotten his job back at the plant.

Tags: reporter stories, stephanie goetz, lisbon, home, flood, lind