CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Flour Bluff Vietnam veteran is still trying to put his home back together. It was damaged during Hurricane Hanna in 2020.
Christopher Fisk had insurance when the hurricane hit, just not enough. Eight months later, he's still picking up the pieces, even if not all the pieces are his.
Hanna left behind millions of dollars in damage -- just look at Bob Hall Pier. Fisk's Flour Bluff home was doing just fine, that is, until the roof blew off a nearby boat barn.
“All the roof blew off and blew into my yard, destroyed my sheds, my roof damaged,” he said.
Fisk had insurance to cover damage inside his house, but not outside. Desperate for help, he tried FEMA.
“It wasn't declared a disaster area, so they couldn't help,” he said.
Whomever told him that gave Fisk incorrect information: Nueces County was declared a disaster area.
So without help, Fisk went to work, because if he hadn't he literally wouldn't have a roof over his head.
“You're right there; so, I had to go into debt to do that,” he said.
Fisk used the insurance payout for inside his house to fix the outside, but it wasn't nearly enough. As work continues on his house, Fisk’s debts continue to rise.
“The receipts I have, I'm about $19,000 in the hole,” he said.
Fisk spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and served two tours in Vietnam. His military pension and 100-percent disability mean he earns too much for most emergency assistance programs.
Fisk said he's gone to the boat barn, but they've denied responsibility.
“I don't know if they're responsible or not,” he said. “All I know is I've got damage I have to correct.”
We put Fisk in contact with Nueces County's Veteran Services Officer to try to find him some help. Fisk said he's also going to try Home Depot's veteran assistance grant program.
