Family works hard to get back in home

May 23--It's been a rough month for 66-year-old Freddie Jent Sr. and his 58-year-old brother, Billy.

The Kentucky natives--both of whom suffer from lung cancer and are in hospice care--and several other family members were forced out of their home in Falmouth when the Rappahannock River flooded on May 1.

But thanks to help from family and the community, they're hoping to move back in this weekend.

Freddie Jent Sr. and his wife, Shirley, lived in the small, white-frame rental house along flood-prone River Road in southern Stafford County. His brother Billy's camper, which sat next to the house near the foot of the Falmouth Bridge, was also flooded, along with another camper used by Freddie Jent Jr.'s sister, Mary Bourne, her husband, Lee, and their son Robert, 14.

The house, which sits across the road from the Historic Port of Falmouth Park, has flooded before. And as in past floods, repairs began shortly after the water receded.

"It took four Dumpsters to remove debris in the house," Freddie Jent Jr., who lives in Spotsylvania County and owns a construction business, said on Wednesday. Jent said he and other family members have been working hard to get the relatives back in.

The flood, he said, picked the house up from the foundation. The Rappahannock crested on May 1 at its highest point in 11 years--5 feet above the 18-foot flood stage at City Dock downstream. The house and campers were half-filled with water.

"The whole middle of the house sunk about 11 inches," Jent said Wednesday while working on a floor inside.

"We spent probably 30 hours just trying to get the house back up" using hydraulic lifters.

"Just to do that, you have to crawl in 12 inches of mud under the house," he said.

A BIG JOB

"We pulled out all the Sheetrock from 50 inches down, all the insulation, replaced the [electrical] receptacles and plugs that were underwater." The sub-flooring also had to be replaced, along with seven windows.

Flooding again last week pushed about an inch of water into the house, delaying the cleanup.

Jent's father, uncle and two other relatives, Lee and Mary Bourne, have been staying in a nearby Days Inn. Freddie Jent Sr. and Billy returned to the house two days ago to help with the repairs and cleanup, despite their failing health.

"I do the work for free; Dad and Billy are helping out when they can" along with Shirley Jent and her sister, Vicky Rose, Freddie Jent Jr. said. Lee and Mary Bourne have been making runs to the hardware store, picking up supplies and driving Freddie Jent Sr. around because he can't drive. Their son helps out when he gets home from school.

"I'm coping with it, but it's not easy," Shirley Jent said, adding that it's been particularly hard on her husband. "Some days he's OK. Some day's he's not."

Freddie Jent Jr. said his father is depressed, on top of everything else. "Once we get him back in [the house] I think he'll be all right."

The younger Jent's construction company's crew was on hand yesterday to move things out of the house to prepare the way for new carpet, which a local company provided at a discount.

He said the owner's insurance policy covered only some of the cost of cleanup and repairs.

HELPING HANDS

The family says it's grateful for help it has received over the past three weeks.

For example, the Red Cross and a neighbor provided money for several nights' stay in the motel.

Falmouth Baptist Church took up a love offering, providing enough money for two rooms at the motel for eight nights.

SERVE, a Stafford-based nonprofit, so far has received 11 donations, totaling $710 for the family, said Marilyn Stevens, the director.

"When you get wiped out like that to bare bones, it's hard to get started again," she said. "It's been such a pleasure working with them. They are so grateful for all the support."

Mount Ararat Baptist Church's Helping Hand ministry has given household items and other things the family needs.

Since a story on the family's plight appeared in The Free Lance-Star, the Jents say, people have been stopping by to ask how they can help.

The family has been through flooding before. Freddie Jent Jr. and his wife, Patti, moved to the area in 1994 from Kentucky. They rented the Falmouth house, with plans to buy it. The house was flooded in 1995 and again in 1996, and they moved to Spotsylvania County six years ago.

Jent's father then rented the house.

Jent says his father likes the location next to the river, and, living only on a monthly Social Security check, it's a place he can afford and still live on his own.

"I've had some good days; yesterday was rough," Freddie Jent Sr. said on Wednesday. He said he's been comforted by the generosity of strangers, like the neighbor down the street who bought him some sheets and a pillow.

Billy is back in his camper in the yard, and has been cooking breakfast and coffee every morning for those working on the house.

Like his brother, he does what he can until he gets tired, then rests in a lawn chair in the yard.

"To me, this is just a thing that happens. Ain't nothing you can do about it," he said.

"You go on."

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431

[email protected]

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