Rebuild Lives: Aid for Jessica and Katy

My name is Susan Elliott. I am the mother of Sarah Elliott who is a nurse at the Veteran's Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Sarah and her family managed to escape any damage to their home in Burnsville, a small town approximately thirty minutes outside Asheville; however, they have been overwhelmed by the devastation resulting from Hurricane Helene. Entire housing developments are gone; bridges have collapsed, major interstate highways have been swept away. Electricity, water, gas and cell phone communications have been disrupted, leaving many families stranded. Mudslides and flood waters have decimated neighborhoods and businesses alike. There remains a shortage of food. Needless to say, such conditions have taken an emotional toll on everyone living in the region.

Sarah is a nurse manager at the VA hospital. Two of the nurses with whom she works have lost everything. Their houses were swept away by the flood waters and wind. They survived the storm with the clothes on their backs. They have nothing and no insurance. These two nurses (Jessica and Katy) and their families walked away with their lives, but nothing more. They are shell-shocked, but remain dedicated to their community and their patients. Each has continued to work at their clinic despite their individual losses. This fundraiser is to help them regain a sense of normalcy and to help them rebuild. It is also to let them know that people truly care about their fate.

The funds raised will be divided by the two nurses. The intended purpose of the fundraiser is to help them make down payments toward replacement housing. Most of the residents in this Appalachian community had no flood insurance and most do not have the means to rebuild. FEMA will obviously provide support to many, but it is a minimal amount - certainly not enough to re-establish a home. It is our goal to assist these two families in rebuilding their lives by creating a path back to home ownership.