Help Amy's Parents Rebuild After Devastating Flood

Hi. My name is Amy Baker and I’m raising money to help my parents, Marie and Edward Gossman Jr., recover from the “hundred year flood” by assisting with their foundation. I contemplated starting this 4 months ago, right after the flood, but Mom’s church stepped in with immediate help for food, clothing, temporary housing, and the Veterans also were right there. My parents' home was destroyed in the flood that hit North Carolina/East Tennessee. Yes, they had flood insurance, but after paying off the mortgage on the house, they were left with only $7,000 to put towards rebuilding. Months later, and they’re still at a standstill due to new foundation requirements and unable to rebuild.

Mom and Dad just want another manufactured home and are even downsizing in an effort to reduce the costs. The city says they need to raise the home up 8 feet, with rebar throughout the foundation. This puts the cost of the new foundation at a higher amount than the home itself, at $70,000. Yes, $70k for the foundation. If my parents were to agree, their mortgage would go up an additional $1k a month. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any retired folks that could afford that.

Dad is a disabled Vietnam War Veteran. Mom still works at the grocery store, so they have some additional money coming in. They literally lost everything but the clothing on their backs, their car, and their carport. For 4 months, they’ve been stuck in a tiny studio guest house. Holidays were spent with no decorations, guests, or big meals. Dad’s neuropathy (from Agent Orange exposure) leaves him alone at the guesthouse while Mom works because he can’t drive. They have been adopted by a group of Veterans helping Veterans, for which we are all VERY thankful. They’ve provided my parents with a storage unit and have been filling it up with furnishings and appliances, but what good is all that if they don’t have a home to put it in?

I just want to get them back on their own land, in their own house, with the mortgage at what it used to be. They shouldn’t have to be in this position from a natural disaster, one of which FEMA hasn’t even given a dime yet.

It saddens me to see elderly, disabled people living month to month, with insurance, that can’t get back on their feet. Let’s not forget these people in light of the new disasters occurring. Any funds received above the requested amount will be turned over to Dallas Short, the Executive Director for Operation Therapy, who has been helping my parents since the beginning.