RAINELLE, W.Va. — Nine families impacted by the 2016 flood in Greenbrier County will be moving into homes before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Appalachia Service Project dedicated the new homes to flood victims during a ceremony Monday in Rainelle.
Rainelle Mayor Andy Pendleton said in addition to the homes, residents received food donations from Kroger and the Town of Rainelle.
“We gave them all a turkey dinner and all the servings that go with it,” she said. “They received a basket to make their first dinner.”
Since the flood, ASP has provided new homes for 40 families with 10 more currently under construction. Several of those houses are in Rainelle, Pendleton said.
“We’re excited we got more people in our community and brought them back that were flooded. It keeps going and we hope we keep going because we certainly need it here,” she said.
Rainelle was one of the worst hit areas on June 23, 2016. High water destroyed 90 percent of all businesses and homes.
“Everybody that has built back is better than it was. I call it our Noah’s Ark,” Pendleton said. “Our Noah’s Ark is a new beginning.”
ASP volunteers has been working in the field every day since the flood to provide safer homes for everyone impacted by the storm.
“Volunteers leave behind a legacy of love,” Pendleton said. “It took weeks and a couple months to build homes, but there were different volunteers every week.”
This year ASP will have over 16,000 volunteers working in five different Central Appalachia states helping over 600 families with home repairs and new construction.