These are our friends, Amy and Alan Blevins. They’re probably your friends, too or would be, because you only need to meet them once to understand how welcoming, kind, generous, fun-loving and giving they are. What should have been a peaceful retirement in the mountains of Bakersville, North Carolina has turned into a heartbreaking struggle.

When Hurricane Helene roared into the Appalachians, Mitchell County took the brunt of the high winds and heavy rains. A typically serene Cane Creek, one block from the Blevins house, became a river more than 100 feet wide and close to 20 feet deep. It flooded their home, which was also Alan’s childhood home. Four feet of filthy water permeated every room and the garage. It saturated floors, cabinets and walls. It killed plants in their landscape and ruined tools in the garage.

Amy and Alan had stacked furniture on top of furniture and desperately emptied closets and cabinets, storing as much as possible in the attic. But there were some things that couldn’t be moved, like the appliances and the heaviest furniture. Still, the furniture floated and dumped the contents that had been so carefully stacked on top into the dirty water.

They’ve salvaged what they can, which is precious little.Their furniture and kitchen appliances sit in sad piles in the front yard. The house needs new flooring, drywall, and insulation for the walls and the crawl space, plus professional mold remediation. The home that held so many memories and lively gatherings is now just a shell.

Amy and Alan lived through the storm, for which we are deeply grateful, but the aftermath is slowly grinding them down as each day brings a new assault on their emotions and their pocketbook. They are camping in the house, relying on friends and their church to meet basic needs like meals and clean laundry.

They are on a long road back to making their house safe, livable.The cost is overwhelming. Please join us in helping Amy and Alan restore their happy home.