Jeffrey Watson, his wife, Myrtle, four of their children and other family members watched as trucks carrying pieces of their new home arrived. Kelsey and Jordan, two of the Watsons' young sons, ran around excitedly as family members took pictures to commemorate the day. "This is going to be a good present for the kids," Jeffrey said. "It's going to ease a lot of tension."
The kids? There are 19 of them - 14 boys, five girls. The tension? Previously living in a two-bedroom, 900-square-foot house.
The family planned to renovate and expand that home this year. But Hurricane Floyd, which pounded North Carolina in September 1999, changed those plans. The Watsons' home was damaged by the floods resulting from Hurricane Floyd, and for more than a year the family has lived in the damaged home. Jeffrey considered repairing it but ultimately decided that relocation would be more economical.
The Watsons attempted to purchase a new home by selling the damaged one through a buyout program designed to help families whose homes were destroyed by Floyd. But because of the family's size and the size of their previous residence, the money from the buyout was not enough to purchase adequate housing.
Enter the N.C. Hurricane Floyd Redevelopment Center and the Wilson Community Improvement Association.
The redevelopment center was established as part of the N.C. General Assembly's $836 million Hurricane Floyd disaster aid package, passed last December. Vera Burton, WCIA housing counselor, said the Watsons' situation called for more assistance than the family received from the buyout program.
The WCIA - with funds from a state grant, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, community members and the Watsons' own savings - helped the family purchase a plot of land in the town of Bailey and a 2,500-square-foot, modular home for $165,000.
Jeffrey said that after a year of searching, he decided a prefabricated house was best because it could be put up in a day.
Robert Carver, N.C. Hurricane Floyd Redevelopment Center assistant director, said he was proud of the teamwork between the center and the WCIA.
