My name is Adam, and I’m raising funds to help my mom find a safe place to live and replace the essentials she needs to begin again after she lost everything in the recent flash flood in Maccaysville, GA.

At 1:30 in the morning on November 5, 2026, my 80-year-old mom, Connie Rice, woke to a desperate pounding on her apartment door. The Toccoa River had overflowed it's banks after a 100-year rainstorm and a devastating flash flood was sweeping through McCaysville, Georgia. Her very sweet next-door neighbors, who often checked on her as she lives alone since the death of my dad, had come to warn her that the water was rising fast and she needed to get out.

She escaped with only the clothes on her back and some of her medication. By then, the water was already too high to leave by car. Together, she and her neighbors made their way up a nearby hill to escape the rising water.

She survived, but her apartment was devastated. Almost everything she owned was lost.

This disaster came just two weeks after she had a pacemaker implanted. She had lost consciousness at my sister’s house and had to be airlifted to a hospital. She was still recovering when she found herself fleeing her home in the middle of the night. My mom is pretty fit for her age, but the hike up that hill nearly killed her!

Among the belongings she lost were her beloved sewing machine (her sewing club makes hats & blankets for the homeless) and an upright piano she had only recently purchased. After 20 years without playing, she had decided to finally bring music back into her life (she played a lot when I was young). These were things that gave her joy and made her home her own.

For more than 40 years, my mom worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse, caring for some of the smallest, sickest and most vulnerable babies and supporting their families through really difficult days. I still remember the photos my mom would tape to our refrigerator of "her babies" when I was a kid.

Her instinct to care for others has never stopped. Since my dad passed away three years ago, she has lived on her pension and military survivor benefits. Yet she still sends what little she can spare to a couple in Florida who used to mow my parents’ lawn and, over the years, became friends. The husband is now dying of stage 4 cancer, his wife is disabled, and they have no insurance. Yet even with her own limited income, she sends money to them every month to help with their rent.

That is who my mom is. She has a HUGE heart, and now she needs help herself. She had no flood insurance, nor did the owners of the apartments.

Donations will help with safe housing, clothing, a bed, basic furniture, and everyday household necessities. We also hope, as her immediate needs are met, to help her sew and play music again.

Starting over at 80 is overwhelming. We want to give her some security, comfort, and the chance to feel at home again.

If you’re able to contribute, any amount will help. If you can’t donate, please consider sharing her story.

Thank you for helping us care for someone who has spent her life caring for others.

Adam, Tammy, Salisha & Clint