Restoring Hope After Hurricane Helene

"It rained and rained and rained. And it turned into more of a storm than i’ve ever seen." Gary recalled. 

when hurricane Helene catastrophically hit western North Carolina, Gray Brown and his family never imagined evacuating their home located 100 yards from the mountain creek.

In a matter of a minute or two it rose two to three feet. We never dream it would keep rising. but it just kept getting higher and higher and higher. He continued  

Then everything changed. We really got to get out of the house. It’s really not safe. We have to go now. Noted his wife, Lisa 

When the browns returned home, they found water washed under the foundation, taking their porch with it and leaving a 20-foot drop from their door.

"looks what’s left. How am I ever going to restart, rebuild?" Lisa questioned.

That’s when operation blessing’s disaster relief team stepped in to help. They brought in equipment and skilled builders to rebuild the deck, yard, and driveway, restoring access to their home.

"Couldn’t meet better people. And oh, they took care of us. They build the deck and I’m thankful for them." Gary fondly noted 

The brown’s are grateful for Operation Blessing's assistance. While the recovery was difficult, the experience strengthened their faith and we took a few minutes to pray with the family. 

"I just can't believe this. It's like strangers actually come in and helping. But to know that, you know, they have god's love in them and they want to share that with others too. That's just I don't know. We're so thankful and blessed. I just can't express." Lisa praised. 

Thanks to you, Operation Blessing volunteers and partners, the browns received the help they needed. 

"I just pray people keep supporting. If it wasn’t for generous people like operation blessings, I don’t know what we would do." Gary said graciously. 

"I don't know how to say it in words, just that we're very appreciative." Lisa followed finally.