Community Spends 7 Months Rebuilding 83-Year-Old's Hurricane-Damaged Home

Peggy Rouse has called Rincon, Georgia home for 30 years. Last September, Hurricane Helene sent a tree crashing through her roof. Then last year's snowstorm and rain damaged her home even further, leaving it uninhabitable and filled with mold that made the 83-year-old so sick she had to be hospitalized. But Rouse wasn't forgotten. When word spread through the community about her situation, those who could help stepped up—and kept stepping up for seven months. 'I think we had like 40-something contractors that ended up coming out and helping. For that large of a turnout, it's just been amazing,' said Matthew Evans, owner of Centaur Home Renovations. The home needed about $160,000 in work—an impossible sum for a woman living on a fixed income. Michael's Roofing repaired the destroyed roof, Edwards Interiors Inc. donated appliances, and Bonafide Decks and Fences built a new deck for the backyard. These are just a few of the businesses and individuals who contributed. 'Whenever I walked through the house originally, it was just in such bad shape. I couldn't actually believe that someone was actually living here, especially an 82-year-old person who just turned 83 in November,' Evans said. Shanna Smith, deputy director of the Effingham Emergency Management Agency, first met Rouse when Hurricane Helene swept through. With help from Family Promise, they found her temporary housing while the community rebuilt her home from the ground up. On Thursday, the Rincon community gathered to welcome Rouse back. Walking through the renovated space for the first time, she was overcome with emotion. 'I can't thank them enough. The people who worked on my house, donated items or money, provided me with a place to live while I was not able to live here,' she said. A GoFundMe has been set up to provide Rouse continued assistance as she settles back into her rebuilt home—proof that when disaster strikes, communities can come together to rebuild more than just houses.