MAYSEL, W.Va. — A Clay County family that lost everything in the June 2016 flood moved into their new house Friday in the community of Maysel.
The house was made possible by the coordinating efforts of West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD).
“This was a family that had a rent-to-own property that was completely destroyed,” WV VOAD Disaster Case Manager Barbara Moody said.
Because the property was rent-to-own the family only qualified for rental assistance from FEMA. They were not eligible for an SBA loan.
“That’s what makes this a little special,” WV VOAD Executive Director Jenny Gannaway told MetroNews Friday. “We are able to help those families get back what they lost in the flood.”
Appalachia Service Project built the new house and the WVU Foundation helped pay for the construction. The house, which was furnished in part by Catholic Charities West Virginia, was built on property the family purchased from a family member.
The June 23, 2016 flood brought eight feet of water into the family’s former home. The couple’s two children weren’t there the night of the flood. The mother went back into the house to retrieve her son’s X-Box, WV VOAD Disaster Case Supervisor Sarah Hambrick said.
“I was like, ‘What a mom!’ she knew that was important to him,” Hambrick said.
WV VOAD and its member agencies will dedicate a new house in Richwood next week. Construction is also scheduled to start next week on the 50th private bridge that’s been constructed under a WV VOAD program.