AUSTELL - About 50 frustrated Austell residents showed up Tuesday night at a special town hall meeting hosted by State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell). Residents were fired up over the lack of help in the wake of last week's epic flood.

Austell resident Jeremy Fryson, who lives off Sherrel Court near Clarkdale Elementary School, said he's been fighting with his insurance company since his home flooded last week.

"The issues are real. We need answers. I was one of the people that had flood insurance only to have someone come to my home and say I may not have a true two-story level," he said. "I have to hire an attorney to fight over insurance I've been paying for three years."

Claudette Parker, who lives in the Garrett Springs subdivision in Austell, said she is concerned about the fate of the foreclosed homes in her subdivision.

"These homes are now abandoned, they have been flooded and no one has gone in them. There will be mold for 10 years sitting in those homes. We need to figure out how we're going to fix those homes. It is not going to be nice for the community," she said.

Parker also blamed city officials for allowing developers to build in flood plains.

"We knew a lot of this flooding was going to happen. Those of us who have been here for 15 years saw that homes were being built where they should not have been built. Now all of this has happened, and everyone is turning a blind eye on everything that we have questioned in meetings and at zoning inspections. Now that it's happened, people are wondering what are we going to do now," she said. "Well, it's time that we do right by us. I think it is morally right to fix the problem this time, because when it happens next time, it won't be a pretty picture."

Jamie Hunt, who lives in the Cypress Club subdivision, agreed with Parker and questioned whether he would rebuild in Austell.

"We have to address the abandoned home issue because that's a health hazard. Second, we have to address the flood plain issue. It flooded in 2004. Some homes were damaged, some were not. I'm hearing this is a 500-year flood. However, the whole drainage issue seems to be repeating itself," he said. "What I'm saying is, why do we rebuild? It would be insane to rebuild I think. Financially, it's not going to be viable to rebuild your home. We're looking at absolute devastation and depreciation that is unheard of."

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Georgia Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, Small Business Administration and Cobb Emergency Management Agency were at the meeting.

Not all comments were negative. Heather Lewis, who lives in Deerfield Creek subdivision, told the Journal she has already gotten financial assistance from FEMA.

"They've been right on it. It was quick. We've been getting price quotes from contractors and electricians. It looks like if we get the ball rolling in the next few days, the people we've got helping us seem very willing to want us to get back in as quick as possible," she said.

Some Austell residents were concerned about debris removal. Lanita Lloyd, deputy director of the Cobb Emergency Management Agency, said Austell Mayor Joe Jerkins was working with a disaster recovery company to speed up the recovery process.

Jerkins confirmed the Austell City Council, in a special called meeting Tuesday afternoon, voted unanimously to approve a no-bid contract with Maitland, Fla., -based BDR, a recovery company that worked on other major disasters like Hurricane Katrina. The contract will expire in 30 days. The company is being paid on an hourly basis, so the total amount of the contract is undetermined, Jerkins said.

"We'll be keeping up with what they're doing. We'll know whether they're working or not," Jerkins said in response to how the city will ensure it's not over billed.

BDR's services will be paid for by the city, which will be reimbursed by FEMA. BDR will help the city document the recovery efforts, including monitoring debris disposal and overtime served by police and firefighters, he said.

"They'll oversee things we don't have staff to do," Jerkins said.

He said the company plans to hire about 20 local residents at $12 per hour to help monitor debris disposal.

The City Council learned in their Monday night meeting that 696 houses were damaged by last week's flood. Jerkins said at least 100 of those homes would have to be demolished. The city has approximately 2,400 homes total.

The flood also damaged 50 businesses, he said.

Powder Springs Mayor Pat Vaughn said the city is also considering using services provided by BDR or a similar company. Vaughn said flooding destroyed 91 homes in her city.

"We probably will need a company of this nature. We're going to try to make a decision on this Wednesday," she said.