Local ministry plans to build 25 new homes after Waverly flood

WAVERLY, Tenn. (WSMV) -A big announcement in the work to rebuild the hundreds of homes destroyed in the Waverly flood last year.

A Christian ministry plans to re-build at least 25 houses in Humphreys county, giving them away for free to the people who lost everything.

Gary Jackson is one of the people who lost his home in last year’s flood. His world was flipped upside down last year. On Wednesday night, he feels like he’s finally building his life back from the ground up.

“I was just like I did not expect that at all so it was pretty awesome,” Jackson said after learning about his new home.

“Not knowing where you’re going to end up, or how you’re going to get back on your feet. And then a light appeared in the wilderness and they just took a huge load off my mind. I’ve slept a lot better ever since,” he added.

Jackson is one of the first five people Appalachia Service Project is giving a free house. The ministry, with help from 12 partners, is pledging to build at least 25 of them for low-income survivors of the flood.

Jackson’s plot is all picked out. It’s not far from the creek that killed 20 people last year, changing the landscape of Waverly for decades.

“It’s just so many houses that are gone,” Jackson said. “It still looks like a war zone but with just less fire.”

While the area still feels empty, Jackson looks forward to new memories here, with the gift of a new place to call home.

“We’re gonna give you a house. And I was just like floored. I just couldn’t believe it,” Jackson said.

As the construction to build all these homes gets underway, Appalachia Service Project is asking for volunteers and donations.

If you’d like to help, here’s a link to the Appalachia Service Project.

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