10/17/2024
Hurricane Helene hit the United States on September 26, 2024. I checked on friends in it's path as it continued to move north.
Friends and Family in Florida were ok, but when I checked on my friend PJ Bennett in Western North Carolina, I found out, she was very much NOT ok.
She and her husband thankfully were out of state when it hit, so their lives were spared, but the storm completely decimated her community.
I will NEVER EVER forget the sound of PJ's voice when she told me her young neighbors were swept away in the hurricane. She had just found out about them drowning and her voice was filled with such a raw, unfathomable pain, I could barely understand her words through the tears. I can't even explain how much my heart breaks for her as I simply can't imagine the grief of so much loss.
They live in the mountains, so their property is NOT in a flood zone. Noone in that area has flood insurance as it's never flooded. Hurricane Helene however changed that statistic. It hit North Carolina so hard, parts of the mountain side cut loose and came down everywhere. PJ'S home was filled with water and mud that reached halfway up her second story. Her beautiful home, with a setting straight out of a Better Homes & Garden magazine, is now unrecognizable and insurance isnt covering it.
In addition to losing neighbors, their home and almost all their belongings, she also lost the three places she sells her beautiful pieces. All three stores were completely destroyed in , washed away into neverneverland.
How do I know PJ? Well, the very best part of being a paint retailer all these years, is all the amazing friends Ive made along the way. PJ Bennett is one of those friends who I initially met in Nashville Tennessee during for one of our DIY Boot Camps for DIY Paint by Debi's Design Diary. Our team, led by Canice Angelici Blair spent months and months preparing for this competition and by the time we went to Nashville, we were all good friends.
PJ was our team captain and has become a dear friend. My heart continues to break for her. Not only did she lose neighbors, she also had extreme damage to their home, and the three locations where she had her beautiful pieces. They were NOT in a flood zone; they live in the mountains, and did not have flood insurance. Nobody in that region does. Please pray for them and everyone devastated in these horrific storms and if you've ever been blessed by knowing PJ, or have gad fun watching any of PJ's video tutorials, please help or pray for them. There's a GoFundMe to help them out. Thanks!! Shelly https://www.wral.com/story/buncombe-mother-two-young-sons-fianc-die-after-being-swept-away-by-helene-s-floodwaters-while-trying-to-evacuate/21664240/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3xKUeYk4yIYtwplowLik1uHVovLFNHqWmR0jxOyWlImkFgWd6vIo5XdEc_aem_DmfghgyyyHaiZE05wPDBnA
