After losing everything in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic flooding, longtime East Tennessee residents Stephanie and Snapper Webb were recently handed the keys to a brand-new, fully furnished home in Cosby, Tennessee – provided at no cost by nonprofit disaster relief organization God’s Pit Crew of Danville, Virginia.
The Webb family’s harrowing ordeal began as floodwaters from the nearby river surged into their home, destroying everything in its path.
“The water was rolling in beneath the front door and I just freaked out and didn’t know what to do,” Stephanie recalled. “I grabbed a towel like that was going to stop the water from coming. I was focused on the front door… then I just heard something – it sounded like a wave you would hear at the ocean – and the next thing I know all this water was coming at me. It had come crashing through the back door.”
Stephanie, at home with her family and pets while Snapper was at work, had to swim through the rushing waters while being attacked by fire ants to reach safety. Snapper, who was at work when the flooding began, arrived as the water surged too high to reach the house by car. He parked at a nearby church and swam through the flooded neighborhood to reach his wife and help his family escape.
When the floodwaters finally receded, the only thing left of the couple’s homeplace was ruin and heartbreak.
“I kept telling Snapper I would go back with him to the house,” Stephanie shared. “He just said, ‘There’s no reason for you to go.’ I told him I had some things I needed to get, and he said, ‘Steph, there’s nothing left.’”
Multiple efforts to rebuild were met with roadblocks of costly moving fees and zoning restrictions. That’s when God’s Pit Crew stepped in with a powerful commitment: to build the Webbs a new home, fully furnished and at no cost to their family.
Stephanie was stunned.
When asked what color she wanted for the new home, she smiled and said, “I don’t care if it’s purple!”
God’s Pit Crew Co-Founder, Terri Johnson, grinned and teased back, “What about orange for the Tennessee Vols?”
Beyond the beautiful house, God’s Pit Crew volunteers went one step further. They added a serene, screened-in porch – rebuilding a special touch Snapper had just finished on their previous home before the flood took it away.
“God’s Pit Crew has given us more than a house – they gave us hope and a fresh start,” Stephanie said, fighting back tears.
This year alone, God’s Pit Crew has provided 28 homes to individuals and families left displaced by Hurricane Helene and other severe flooding events across the Southeast.