JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two churches are helping to restore a local woman’s home.
Hurricane Irma nearly destroyed Velma Aiken's home when chest-high floodwater swept through it.
We spoke to one local homeowner devastated by Hurricane Irma. Today she's getting some help from Riverside Presbyterian Church and Fairfield Presbyterian church to rebuild her home. Catch the story at 5:30pm. @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/Cwdfh8eGcT
— Varisa Lall Dass (@vldass) December 6, 2017
Aiken was able to escape with her life, but barely anything else.
Aiken spent the past several months in a small, tattered room she shared with her son.
This is the tiny room Velma shared with her son after the water finally receded from her Northside home. She tells me it's been 'depressing.' Hear how she's been coping at 5:30. @ActionNewsJax @wokv pic.twitter.com/2DYipeQQGH
— Varisa Lall Dass (@vldass) December 6, 2017
The rest of the house remained uninhabitable.
That’s when Riverside Presbyterian Church and Fairfield Presbyterian Church heard her story and stepped in to help.
They replaced Aiken’s dry wall and flooring.
Volunteers from Fairfield Presbyterian Church came all the way from Virginia to help Velma. Tracy Young tells me, We can't fix everything, but we can all fix something."@ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/kjx3woAfw5
— Varisa Lall Dass (@vldass) December 6, 2017
Action News Jax was there when Aiken saw the new work.
In tears, she said, “It’s unexplainable. And my house. This is just the first house I can see myself living in like I used to live.”
Aiken has lived there for the past 25 years.
She is still waiting to replace a large majority of her belongings.
Velma needed new dry wall and flooring. She tells me she would've never had the resources to fix her home herself. See the amazing transformation tonight at 5:30pm. @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/0My0pomfeC
— Varisa Lall Dass (@vldass) December 6, 2017
Riverside Presbyterian Church also stepped in to help. The associate pastor tells us Velma is kind and hardworking. He says she's a homeowner who works hard to pay her mortgage. That's why he wanted to make things a little easier for her during the recovery. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/SsIAhsqKwy
— Varisa Lall Dass (@vldass) December 6, 2017
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