PEMBROKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Homes once filled with loving family memories are now filled with mud.
Many people in Giles County lost just about everything in the impacts from Hurricane Helene when the New River flooded.
That’s the case for Laura Lilly, who’s been trying to figure out where to even begin after losing her family home.
“It was heartbreaking. I lost my mom, my dad and my brother in the last couple of years and to lose their home, it was bad,” said Lilly.
The Lilly family and other impacted residents in Giles County are remaining strong, overwhelmed by the support from neighbors, with local and state leaders also jumping in to help.
The Giles County Administrator, Chris McClarney, says 48 families had to be relocated due to the damage.
The county immediately established a Housing Assistance Fund to get them moved into temporary housing for a few months until more relief comes.
“They’ve received furniture and household goods and there’s just so many things that people have donated. Then we’ve also made a lot of ground on the cleanup effort as well the debris removal. I think when we last counted, up to about 200 tons of debris been removed.”
Over 2,000 volunteers have also spent countless hours trying to help clear up the damage across the county and get people back on their feet.
Even a church in Ohio made their way down to Giles, dropping off $125,000 worth of items for the community.
“That kind of kindness, you know, that will touch your heart and restore your faith in humanity, that’s for sure,” said McClarney.
While people continue to salvage what’s left of their property, McClarney says FEMA is officially on the ground, going door to door.
They will be at the Narrows and Pembroke fire departments on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. FEMA is still working on setting up a recovery center in the county.
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