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Help needed after devastating flood damage

Hi! My name is Miranda Kidd. I live in Knoxville TN and am setting up a “Go Fund Me” campaign to help my grandparents who are both 73 and have lost their home due to a recent flood that occurred here in Knoxville.  On February 24 my grandparents, Cyndie and Tom Young, had to face a situation that would possibly change their lives for as long as they live.  My grandmother woke up at 6:15 am to start getting ready for church. When she put her feet down on the carpet, she realized that she was stepping into ankle deep, ice cold water. She thought there was a busted pipe in their bathroom.  However, after investigating further, my grandparents realized the whole house was flooded and it got deeper as they walked through it.  Their entire yard held several feet of water which had seeped in through the front door and garage. Their house has no basement, just one level on a concrete slab that retained the dirty water. Walking in the house was very dangerous and slippery because the laminated flooring was floating and causing them to trip if they attempted to carry stuff out of the house.  It was two weeks before they could go in to remove furniture, pictures, electronic appliances, clothing and their other belongings. The water in their yard remained for almost a month before it finally drained off.  By that time anything that wasn’t at least 8 inches above the floor, had to be thrown away since it was contaminated with sewer water and filthy debris. Everything was destroyed! Two 4-ton dumpster loads of unsalvageable belongings were removed from the dwelling leaving them with very little to make a new start.  To say the least, it is a very devastating experience. Currently, they are homeless and staying temporarily in a house of a friend in a nearby city. They can’t afford to pay mortgage on their home and rent another place at the same time.

My grandparents have had no help at all from their homeowner’s insurance company because they did not have flood insurance.  They are not in a flood zone so it was not offered to them.  FEMA did not offer them any help. Knoxville was not declared a disaster zone for individual family assistance. They have contacted all the appropriate federal, state and county agencies and officials that could possibly help them and no one can come up with any grant money.  After evaluating all of the damage and things that will need to be replaced, it will take around $75,000. My step grandfather sold his house in West Virginia and put the proceeds from that into their Knoxville home in order to have lower mortgage payments.  They are not prepared to just walk away from the equity accrued in the home and start over. They waited as long as they could before they let me proceed with this effort on their behalf. They were expecting to get some kind of government help.  Only assistance so far has been from their family, some friends and of course their local church fellowship. In spite of their age and health issues, both continue to work part-time jobs. Would you consider making some donation to help them?   Perhaps if enough people can give, it will help them get their home renovated at least enough for them to be able to move back in it. Any donations will be very helpful and appreciated. To have a more successful campaign I am also requesting that everyone share this with their social media friends.  May God bless each of you.
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $250 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Miranda Kidd
Organizer
Knoxville, TN
Cyndie Young
Beneficiary

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