Hi. My family has recently been devastated by catastrophic flooding on our family’s cabin property in McCaysville, GA.

My grandparents bought this property in the 1970s. There were three structures here: the original little cabin, the main cabin, and a carport. The little cabin was built in 1976, and the main cabin was built in 1985.

The original little cabin was completely swept away by the flood. The only thing left of it is part of its cinderblock foundation. The main cabin, which is already elevated off the ground, was also hit by the flooding when Fightingtown Creek rose approximately 12 feet. The water inside reached four feet, leaving the interior completely destroyed. Thankfully, the cabin is still standing on its foundation. The wooden porch collapsed, along with the carport. It looks like a hurricane came through. Some of our neighbors weren’t so lucky and experienced fires and total destruction. Some even had to be rescued from their homes. It’s a miracle that no one was at our cabins when the flooding happened.

This was my grandparents’ second home. Our family made so many memories coming to the cabin over the years, enjoying the nature and scenery right along Fightingtown Creek. This place was truly one of a kind. This past summer, my dad had to miss months of work to take care of his sick parents. My Pawpaw was experiencing complications from ulcerative colitis and ended up being hospitalized. My Granny, who is in the beginning stages of dementia, was unable to be left alone and had to move in with my parents.

My Pawpaw remained in the hospital through July. He wasn’t making much progress and eventually developed a severe UTI. At 92 years old, this was very serious. Unfortunately, he had to be placed in hospice care and passed away a week later, on August 9th. This devastated our family. My dad wasn’t given much time to properly grieve, as he now had to plan his dad’s funeral while figuring out how to take care of his mom. As you can imagine, this was very difficult for him. My Granny eventually had to move into a nursing facility, as my parents both work full-time and were unable to provide the level of care she needed as her dementia progressed.

My dad currently manages my grandparents’ bills and property. He has also taken care of the cabins for years, as my grandparents got older and were no longer able to make the trip themselves.

Tragically, the property did not have flood insurance, as flooding had never been an issue or even a thought for this area. Because of this, none of the damage is covered by insurance.

My parents are now faced with the stress of dealing with the loss of a place filled with cherished family memories, along with the financial responsibility of repairing the main cabin, which is the only structure left standing on the property. We are so thankful that everyone is safe, but there is a lot of damage to assess and a long road ahead.

I know my parents would never ask for help which is why I decided to make this page. I’ve watched them go through so much stress and loss over the past few months, and I feel helpless not being able to do much other than show up for them.

I’m hoping that with the funds donated, I can help take some of the stress off my parents’ plate by helping to cover my grandparents’ bills, flood cleanup and repair costs, and any other expenses that arise as the damage is assessed.

Anything helps, even if it is just sharing this page.

Thank you so much for reading,

with love,

Katlyn Lawrence