They had just been watching the weather reports that night, like everyone else. Storm advisories were scrolling across the screen. The wind was picking up, but they never imagined how quickly it would turn.
At home were a grandmother and grandfather raising their two young grandchildren, ages 4 and 6. The youngest was staying with another grandmother. Grandpa and the 6-year-old were in the living room. Grandma was in the bedroom.
Then they heard it.
She said it sounded like a train bearing down on the house. She shouted for them to get to the bedroom. They made it down the hall just seconds before a tree crashed straight through the living room. Glass exploded. Wood splintered. The force of it nearly split the home in two.
The storm kept raging. Trees were snapping outside. In the front yard, another tree crushed the water lines, sending water spraying into the air. There was no time to think.
Grandma grabbed her granddaughter and ran out the back door. Grandpa flipped the breakers and followed close behind. They ran to a neighbor’s house and waited, listening to the wind tear through what had been their home.
By morning, there was nothing left to salvage. The house was a total loss.
This is a family that works hard and serves others. Grandpa is a full-time firefighter. Grandma works two full-time jobs. They are raising their grandchildren and doing everything they can to provide stability and love.
After the storm, they pushed forward. They qualified for a new mobile home loan with a $12,810 down payment. They emptied their savings and committed their next paychecks, but they still could not quite get there.
That is when they reached out to Catholic Charities West Virginia (CCWVa).
Through disaster case management, CCWVa was able to walk alongside them and provide $5,000 toward their down payment. That support helped close the gap and made a new home possible.
Today, their family is safe, dry, and together under one roof again. In the middle of a crisis, they found steady ground. And because our community steps up when it matters most, they have a place to call home once more.
