“Blessings of Grace Blog 20” 7-16-26

www.gracebyexample.org

https://www.gracebyexample.org/blessings-of-grace-blog

Hurricane Helene impacted western North Carolina, 73,000 homes - damage assessment of $59.6 billion dollars.

https://www.osbm.nc.gov/hurricane-helene-dna/open  page 5

It has been 657 days since Hurricane Helene catastrophically impacted more than 73,000 homes in Western North Carolina. For many families, recovery is still not over. Their houses may be standing again, but their lives are still being rebuilt one need, one tool, one appliance, and one act of generosity at a time.

Every family has a story. One father was swept out of his home by the floodwaters and survived by clinging to a tree as the water rushed past him. Inside the home, his wife held tightly to their wheelchair-bound daughter as the water rose to her neck and lifted her daughter out of her chair. Then, in what can only be described as a miracle, a kitchen chair was swept from the adjacent kitchen into the living room and struck the back of the mother’s legs. She climbed onto it and lifted her daughter higher, keeping them both above the water until help came. This is not just a story about a storm. It is the story of a family that survived the unthinkable and is still waiting for the chance to fully recover.

Three families that Grace By Example is privileged to serve lost their homes and nearly everything in their homes. In two cases, they also lost storage buildings, tools, and equipment they depended on for their businesses and livelihoods.

The home where the mother raised the daughter out of the water.

Lost home, belongings and Equipment Shed

Another family had their mobile home destroyed and continue to live in a small camper until they receive a new mobile home. Two homes under construction are expected to be completed by the end of August, and the mobile home to be replaced soon but recovery will not be complete until the essentials they are lost are replaced.

The remaining need is $30,000. That amount will help replace household necessities, business equipment, tools, and a storage building for one of the families and decking for the mobile home once it is in place.

If stories like these move you to prayerfully give, go to www.gracebyexample.org . Whether you give a little or a lot, your gift helps restore dignity, stability, and hope to families who have already endured more than most of us can imagine. Gifts such as yours will help these families finish their long journey home.

If you would like to learn more about Grace By Example visit https://www.gracebyexample.org

Windell Robertson at  wrobertson@gracebyexample.org  or by Cell/Text 704-497-6580

Take care!

The Grace By Example Team

Galatians 6:9