The Pattersons lost their Whitesboro home after the Halloween storm. They said flooding wasn't an issue until about a decade ago.

"We depleted [our] savings account, and ... retirement, and everything to keep fixing it. Can't keep doing it. Like he said, 'Enough is enough,' " Tammy Patterson said.

The Pattersons used to have flood insurance, but said insurance didn't cover previous events because the damage didn't reach certain thresholds. So they did not have flood insurance during the Halloween storm.

Like so many other flood victims, the Pattersons don't know what to do after FEMA's recent denial of individual assistance. They're hopeful for some sort of buyout.

"The area just keeps getting hit and hit, and nobody wants to do anything. They say, 'It's your choice to live here.' Of course it is. It was our choice to live here 30 years ago, and we didn't get that," said Bill Patterson.

In the meantime, they're still paying on their property in Whitesboro while renting an apartment in Marcy.

"I'm waiting to hear for what are my options. I mean, I'm waiting to see if somebody's gonna buy out. I mean, I don't know. I've gotta pay my taxes or I'm gonna lose my property that way. Like I said, I've been here 30 years," Bill Patterson said.

One option individuals can look into is what The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is distributing. They're collecting donations for flood victims. Up to $50,000 of it will be matched by the Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporation.

"We are hopeful that the elected officials, including the governor, who are calling on FEMA to reevalute its earlier decision, will meet with some success. Until then, we're really looking to the local community to do what it can to help its neighbors in need," said John Swann, the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties' executive vice president.

So far, more than $30,000 has been donated for distribution. If you're in need of help, you can contact The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties.

There isn't a date for when the money will be awarded yet. There have been 500 requests for assistance so far.