Written by Tamara Elliott and Bindu Suri
CALGARY- Months after the June flood that tore through and destroyed their home, a Calgary family is finally on the road to recovery.
The Hayes’ live in Erlton, close to the Elbow River. The swollen river left behind an empty shell after moving through their home, prompting it to be condemned.
This week, Samaritan’s Purse stepped in to help, starting with the full demolition of the home.
“I’m so thrilled,” said Mona Hayes as she watched work get underway. “If it wasn’t for Samaritan’s Purse, I don’t know what I’d do. Hang the for sale sign, that’s all I can do.”
The undertaking is the organization’s biggest project since the flood, with plans to rebuild it from the ground up over the next few months thanks to dozens of volunteers.
Some of the features from the Hayes home will be incorporated in to the new one.
“My claw foot tub, that will be in the new house,” Hayes says. “We’ll take some of the elements and keep a loft like we had, so we can keep something from before.”
The offer to rebuild was extended to every flood-impacted home on the block, and 26 families took the charity up on the offer.
“It’s a roller coaster, sometimes there’s moments of happiness, promises of a new beginning,” says Dan Rossi from Samaritan’s Purse. “But having to part with the past is not easy.”
While she’s grateful for the help, Hayes says it’s also hard to watch her home reduced to rubble.
“It’s emotional-it’s just memories of the house, those times you feel you might lose little memories of the home.”
For more information and to make a donation, visit the Samaritan’s Purse website.
Help Samaritan’s Purse strengthen the impact of local churches in communities recovering in the aftermath of disasters. As caring Christians are trained and empowered to walk alongside individuals and families to find solutions to complex needs, God opens doors to share the Gospel.