Family returns home 19 months after Helene
By Rian Stockett
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CANTON, North Carolina (WLOS) — A family gets to sleep in their own beds for the first time since their house was destroyed by Helene 19 months ago.
“Today we are moving back to our home,” said Donella Pressley, a Canton Resident. “A lot of people don’t think, well, your house floated away, but you still have a mortgage. It doesn’t matter that your house floated away. You still have to pay for it.”
Pressley describes herself as a two-time winner of the floods, as before Helene, her home was damaged by Fred.
After Fred, organizations like Mountain Projects and Baptists on Mission helped repair it.
But after Helene, there was no repairing. Pressley had to rebuild from scratch.
“You just have to put your big-girl pants on and your boots and wade through the muck that the river leaves, and you just have to fix it. And that’s what you have to concentrate on. You just have to fix it,” Pressley said.
Pressley says they’re able to do this thanks to funding from the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management.
“It’s going to be years down the line for other people to assess and to get help and to get things fixed,” Pressley said.
Not just a new home and deck, the ground has been raised per flood code, making the house 10 feet higher than it used to be.
Pressley says the day before Helene came through, they were prepared, packing their pets, clothing and memorabilia, but some of their belongings, they’ll never get back.
“A home is where we’re at and what we’re doing and not so much about the stuff,” Pressley said.
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