When floodwaters swept through Taylor’s Valley last September, Emily Phipps watched her neighbor’s house break off its foundation and wash away. Phipps’ own home was destroyed, and the land where it stood was too eroded to rebuild. Now, she has the keys to a new home.
“There’s enough space in there for my kids and my grand kids and I look forward to us getting back together,” Phipps said. “And we have weekend sleepovers with everybody sometimes, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Phipps’ new home is a remodeled house on property that was owned by a church. The labor was provided by volunteers through faith organizations. They’ve worked together the past nine months through an organization called Trails to Recovery, that formed after the flood. They’ve rebuilt 91 homes in the Damascus and Taylor’s Valley area in the past nine months.
Phipps said after months of uncertainty, she’s finally starting to feel a sense of relief. “It’s been hard,” Phipps said. “A lot of things have come into play later than sooner, so I was starting to be a little worried about things, but everything has worked out.”
Trails to Recovery raised nearly $1.7 million in private donations to rebuild 91 homes in Washington County. They partnered with Impact Mission, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, Storm Aid and Mennonite Disaster Service. Some funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, though the agency’s individual assistance program, also contributed to the project.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
