Help Lang Rebuild After Devastating Flood

Help Me Rebuild After the Devastating Flood

I’ve lived in my Carrboro home for almost 30 years. It’s where I brought my history from living overseas and made into my cherished home.

Nothing makes you immune from disaster. Everything changed when the “1,000-year flood” from Storm Chantal hit. The waters rose within minutes, reaching 6 to 10 feet around my home.

In the midst of that chaos, I had to fight through waist-deep water in my living room, pushing my body despite the pain from my recent double knee replacements and a shoulder injury. I climbed into my attic just to escape the rising floodwaters, where I stayed until the rescue crew came and took me to safety.

Despite continuing to work while on Social Security, I wasn’t able to afford flood insurance. Not only have I lost so many cherished items and memories from throughout my lifetime, I have no financial coverage at all and am overwhelmed by what is coming. Everything I need to rebuild, from the clothes I need to wear to basic furniture and home goods, must come out of my limited savings. The cost to remove mold and flood damage alone is between $35,000-$50,000 and does not include the cost of rebuilding! The estimated cost to rebuild my home will be well into the six-figures (I've heard upwards of $300,000!).

Now, as an elderly widow who lives alone, I’m asking for your help to rebuild my life and my home. Every little bit counts, and your generosity will help me replace what I’ve lost — and more importantly, give me hope to start again.

If you don't already know me, thank you for taking the time to read my story. I assist Vietnamese-speaking individuals through difficult times, both locally and across the country as North Carolina’s only Certified Vietnamese Language Court Interpreter. I am also a retired tennis professional, known as “Coach Lang.” I dedicated years to teaching and mentoring the many generations of competitive tennis players in the Chapel Hill area.

Please consider donating and sharing my story. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support.

Watch my story on ABC News