Mother Shares Her Story Since Easter Tornados

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- “It’s just been a struggle” said Carolyn Hines. “It’s been stressful. It’s hard to sleep.”

Hines and her family have moved 9 times since the Easter Sunday tornado.

“We’ve had to leave bnb’s (Air BNB) and hotels as well because sometimes the insurance company wouldn’t pay the bill on time.”

Now, as Hines waits for her home to be rebuilt, she now has to pay everything out of pocket.

“It’s 15 hundred dollars a month to live over here and of course I still have 730 dollar Mortage that I’ve been paying faithfully.”

To make things worse, Hines and her children have to maximize the little space they currently have in their rental home by sleeping with their mattresses on the floor.

“The children are stressed out. They’re asking questions like ‘when are we going to go back home.’”

Hines says she is at the mercy of her mortgage company who is withholding the finances needed to rebuilding her home.

“I just feel like if you pay your insurance on time, if you pay your mortgage one time, these people shouldn’t hesitate to pay when it’s time to pay.”

Hines says she shared her story with News 12 for people who may go through similar adversity.

“Be prepared to wait. If you have to go through this, be prepared to wait because it’s gonna take a while.”

News 12 will continue to follow up with the mortgage company going forward.