ROSE CITY, Texas — Raymond Cerda walked 12News to a yellow tent in his backyard.
In the front sits his "kitchen." A little farther back is his "bedroom." He is preparing for the future.
He told 12News FEMA is kicking him out of his trailer.
"I don't understand why they won't let me stay in my FEMA trailer," Cerda said.
He said his story begins in August 2017, when he went to Beaumont to stay during Harvey. His neighbor in Rose City was his only form of communication during the storm.
"Monday is when I left out of here," he said. "Tuesday he sent me a picture; the water was just now getting up to my driveway."
By Thursday, neighbors were leaving in boats.
"I didn't know how I was going to rebuild my house," he said.
He started working on his damaged home himself after Harvey as a self-contractor.
He told FEMA it would take him a year and a half to finish his home, but he said it took them a year for him to even get a trailer. Cerda said he works on his house by himself every day, but his seizures keep him from working long hours.
"I tore down my roof. Now I've torn down the walls, and I've got three rooms left," Cerda said.
FEMA sent him a letter saying he is in violation of not building a dwelling, but he disagreed.
"The ladies that came in and told me what to do with the house, I've done everything they've asked me to do and a little more."
As Raymond continues to look for other options, he hopes the people at FEMA will have mercy on him and give him more time, so he doesn't have to live in the tent.
