New Bern resident returns home after Florence flood

March 15-- Mar. 15--Joe Ann Spence knows she's lucky. Like many of her neighbors on North Hills Drive in New Bern, Spence's home was flooded six months ago, when Hurricane Florence sent water from Rennys Creek and a nearby canal pouring over her front porch to spread across floors, walls, and a lifetime of memories. But unlike many residents of the small, 1960s -era neighborhood, Spence has chosen to stay, a decision made possible by a Virginia-based recovery team manned by volunteers from across the country.

"These people, I tell you, it's just a blessing. You just don't know how much, because I had homeowners insurance but no flood insurance," said Spence, standing inside her newly-refurbished home Thursday as paint and dust-splattered workers from Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders gathered in her front yard.

Spence, who moved to North Hills Drive in 1968, said workers with the Fuller Center began repairing her home January 4 and have been slowly bringing it back to life, day by day, ever since. She said workers with the the Mennonite Disaster Service and Samaritan's Purse had already gutted the residence, stripping the hardwood floors and sheetrock and treating it for mold.

According to Toni Ratliff, fuller center volunteer coordinator, the organization concentrates on helping fixed income and elderly residents that have no flood insurance and are unable to afford repairs on their own. The volunteer-staffed rebuilders bring the houses they work on up to a livable standard but provide no extra remodelling services. Homeowners are required to sign a contract stating they plan to stay in the home and won't sale it once repairs are completed.

Spence's home is the fourth in North Carolina completed by the Fuller Center and the third in New Bern. Among the many repairs at the North Hills Drive residence, volunteer workers put in new laminate flooring and tile, replaced the home's sheetrock and windows, and repainted the exterior. They also made an addition -- a new, handicapped accessible porch with a ramp, a concession to Spence's arthritis.

"I'm telling you they have really done some work here and it's like a new house, it really is," Spence commented, raising her voice as a train passed on the tracks just in back of her house.

Spence admitted that, in the days following Hurricane Florence, she was unsure if she would ever return to her home of more than five decades.

"Every house on the street was flooded. Water had come up before it never went in the house, it just went underneath and got my heating system and ductwork twice and my car the first time," she recalled. "My son came by the house the day after Hurricane Florence, but he didn't tell me how bad it was."

Among the items she lost to the flood was the Spence family Bible.

"I had put it where I thought it was safe, in the clothes dryer. Well, it's not safe in the clothes dryer. I'd have been better off if I'd put it in the washing machine," said Spence, laughing slightly at the ill-fated decision.

The flood also claimed a Bible from the home of Spence's neighbor, Janice Crews, a 30 year North Hills Drive resident. Unlike Spence, Crews said she has had enough of the constant threat from the nearby water. Her house is currently for sale.

"I only got six to eight inches of water in my house, but it was enough to ruin everything I have, lost it all. I can't go through that again, I just can't," said Crews.

During a home blessing ceremony Thursday, Spence's son, Rex Bennett, thanked those that had given their "time and talent and their treasure" to help his mother and others across Eastern North Carolina.

"From my heart to each and every one of you guys, I want to thank you for putting your heart into this great labor of love. I never would have imagined in a million years that things would have come together in the way that they have," said Bennett.

Following a prayer of blessing from Bennett, Fuller Center Construction Director Aaron Ratliff presented Spence with the keys to her restored home.

"This is our way of ministering to others. We thank you for allowing us to do what we can," he told Spence, who was also given a new Bible and a quilt made by the Knotters of Saint Peter from Indiana.

Tears streaming down her face. Spence offered her appreciation to the Fuller Center volunteers gathered around her.

"I just appreciate it so much. There's just no way that I ever would have been able to come back here without you all. I feel like I have been blessed beyond measure."

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