MADISON, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's something we haven't forgotten about. A little more than a year ago a tornado brought devastation to Nesbitt Lane in Madison.
While some neighbors have made repairs, many are still waiting to piece their lives back together. However, there's a group effort that's underway right now to help get folks back in their homes.
Marcella Chance took a sledgehammer to the windows of her Madison home Tuesday.
"And now we can go do a wall," said Chance, a homeowner with a severely damaged home.
It's been more than a year of frustration that all started when a tornado destroyed her home in Madison in December 2023.
Chance and her family escaped with their lives, but not much else.
“I walked out of there with just clothes on my back,” Chance said.
Since then it's been a series of expensive setbacks.
"I have now drained my savings account paying for my rent at an apartment because you've got to have a place to live. I couldn't live here, FEMA was supposed to help with that, but we've got nothing," Chance said.
She said the help she did receive from FEMA was $3,000 to replace furniture.
Her insurance didn’t pan out. However, she found out about some nonprofits in the Nashville Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster group or VOAD.
“They said, 'We can help you,'” Chance said.
Local groups including Rebuilding Together Nashville offered to tear her home down and then rebuild it for free.
“We want to keep our neighbors here in Nashville. We're losing them too fast. So what we're trying to do is just provide that help that they need to go ahead and put their home back together. So you can grow old and age in place and be part of the neighborhood that you grew up in,” said Kip Patrick, disaster recovery program manager for Rebuilding Together Nashville.
Chance got the demolition started on Tuesday.
“It's been very emotional. There's a lot of memories, a lot of sentiments that were in there that could not be taken back,” Chance said.
However, Chance is looking forward to the future, she’s focused on the memories that she has yet to make.
“This is home and that's what it's going to mean to me, is home. I'm finally back home where I belong,” Chance said.
We reached out to FEMA to weigh in on this situation.
They encourage anyone who is applying for help to contact their case manager for any updates on the status of their aid.
As it relates to Chance, they said they can't immediately comment on specific cases but they're working on getting us more information.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
Shred the gnar with Patrick - the snowboarding lawyer that will remind you not to take things too seriously! His cheeky, cheerful attitude is contagious. His only complaint? The lack of chairlifts at the Tennessee State Capitol of course. Watch his story for an instant pick-me-up on a frigid day.
-Rebecca Schleicher
