Fort Myers mom gets $3600 water bill due to Irma

Chopped up logs outside many homes are a reminder of the damage Hurricane Irma left behind. However, one single mother got a painful reminder in the mail. Caroline Morris received a $3,608.24 water bill from the City of Fort Myers. "I had not idea what to do, I was in complete shock," said Morris.  Irma knocked down a tree in her yard. The uprooted tree then broke a water line while Morris and her two kids were in Alabama.  A neighbor saw her yard filled with water and turned it off, but not before the damage was done. "It was over 100,000 gallons," said Morris. She went to the city for help and found out she wasn't alone. "The city employee says she had a stack of statements like mine," said Morris. The city employee had Morris fill out a form, but she had limited options. "All she could do at the time was grant me an extension until December," she added. Morris turned to her insurance for help, but her provider couldn't bail her out. "They could help with debris removal or tree removal," said Morris. "But a water bill isn't something my policy covers," she added. Morris applied to FEMA twice for aid, but was rejected. She then hired an attorney. "We kinda touch base weekly to see if anything is going on," said Morris. "Nothing yet," she added. The single mother reached out to 4 In Your Corner for help. A City of Fort Myers spokesperson says they are looking into her situation and trying to figure out what to do for her. Morris hopes they can work something out. "There's expenses alone in the evacuation, then losing everything in your fridge, and trying to get back to normal," said Morris. "You don't know how to recover financially from something like this," she added.