First flood victim in Hub-City receives new floors

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Loretta Bowman of Hattiesburg received floor repairs to her home Wednesday. She is the first flood victim to receive actual repairs after the March 9 floods that hit all over the Pine Belt.

Volunteer Hattiesburg, United Way Southeast Mississippi, Venture Church, and Carpenter's Helper all pulled together to ensure Bowman felt at home again.

Bowman said, "My floors were soggy, you know when you walk on them, they were really mushy, they felt like they were just going to give in at any time."

Bowman has been living in her home for 6 months and when she found out her house has been partially destroyed she did not know what to do.

"I was out of my house for 4 days after the rainfall because I could not even get back here, the police had it blocked off."

She added, "I just moved into the house, I had no help doing this, nobody came out."

Bowman said a couple days after she went to FEMA for assistance, but one of the blessings was an organization called Carpenter's Helper who offered to help rebuild her floors.

President of Carpenter's Helper, Bill Prout, said, "In the kitchen there was a hole in the floor and she had actually got a piece of board out and laid it over the hole so that it can still function in her homeowner capacity."

Venture Church also assisted with Bowman's situation and collected donations at their church as an Easter project.

Minister Craig Curtis said, "I think of stories like Miss Bowman that we want to be a part of, we just do not want to be a church that is in the community, we want to be a church that is of the community, that is really outside and out of the walls of just Sunday morning."

Without the community's help the repairs would cost up to $2,000 dollars and Bowman mentioned it has been a blessing.

"I do not have that kind of great bank account, so this was a blessing, a blessing in disguse, and I am appreciating it, and thanking the Lord everyday."

The four organizations plan on helping one flood victim a week.