MADISON, Tenn. (WKRN) — December 9, 2023 is a day many Madison residents will never forget.
Though it’s been more than a year since a deadly tornado outbreak ripped through the area, many people are still trying to return to their normal lives. One Madison family has received some support on their road to recovery.
Marcella Chance and her family lost their home and everything inside when a tornado tore through their neighborhood on Nesbitt Lane.
“My husband and I were sitting there and Danielle Breezy said ‘Madison, you need to take cover,'” Chance said. “[My husband] looked at me and he goes, ‘I think we need to take cover.'”
The tornado left families like Chance’s not only looking for another place to live, but in a tough financial situation.
“I did not have insurance. The insurance company only took out for the mortgage to cover them,” said Chance. “I got $3,000 from FEMA on the contents of my house. I had all-new furniture that I had just bought. Three years prior to this, we spent our life savings — $30,000 — to remodel. We’ve lost all of that.”
Chance told News 2 as she awaits on more money from FEMA, she doesn’t have to wait to have her home back. That’s all thanks to a partnership between Tennessee-Western Kentucky United Methodist Church’s Disaster Recovery, Davidson County Long-Term Recovery Group and Rebuilding Together Nashville.
The groups have helped tornado survivors make needed repairs, like new roofing and foundation work. In other cases, like Chance’s, the groups help families rebuild altogether. The amount of help is determined on a case-by-case basis, with the level of support homeowners currently have from insurance and FEMA taken into consideration.
“We come as the construction partner, assess the home, develop work scopes, decide what disaster repairs can be done,” Andrea Prince, CEO of Rebuilding Together Nashville, said.
As of publication, four different home projects are underway in the area, with roughly $25,000 in assistance going to each project. Chance even got to take part in the rebuild of her home, starting with the demolition,which kicked off Tuesday.
“The devil didn’t get me, and God saved me. That’s exactly what was going through my head and the joy that I got out of smashing those walls to say, ‘You didn’t take me down,'” said Chance. “This reclaimed my space back. Me demolishing and doing what I did gave closure to me and gave closure for my family that we’re going to have something new to continue our memories in.”
If you are a survivor having difficulties recovering from the Dec. 2023 tornado, you can call the helpline at 615-270-9255 for assistance.
