Cobb flood victims surprised with home makeover

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Morris and Margaret Bennett thought they would never be able to get their storm-damaged home repaired. But that has changed, thanks to a team of volunteers who rebuilt an addition to the Powder Springs home.

"We were going to have to leave it unfinished," Margaret Bennett said. "It takes too much money and we didn't have it."

In September, the couple watched helplessly as floodwaters climbed within three steps of the top floor of the two-story home.

"This is all we've got," Margaret Bennett said. "We were devastated."

For Morris Bennett, who relies on a motorized wheelchair, the damaged first floor limited his ability to access his living room, bedroom and kitchen. The Bennetts didn't have flood insurance, and their home insurance didn't cover the damage. A check from the Federal Emergency Management Administration simply wasn't enough to repair the home and refurnish it.

The Bennetts hired a contractor, but when heavy roofing shingles were left in the wrong spot on the roof, the roof caved in, creating a bigger mess and sending Morris Bennett to the hospital to be evaluated.

When a group named Operation Blessing International offered to help the Bennetts, it couldn't have come at a better time. This week, the Bennetts spent a few days at the home of a granddaughter, thinking volunteers were doing some drywall work.

But when they returned Saturday afternoon, they were greeted by hundreds of volunteers and neighbors, and a completely rebuilt portion of the home.

"Wow, I tell you, I can't believe this," Morris Bennett told the crowd after emerging from the home, which got not only new walls but also a new living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom -- all fully furnished. A new ramp to accommodate the wheelchair leads to a playhouse and swing set for the Bennetts' seven great-grandchildren.

The Bennetts, who have three grown children and seven grandchildren, held back tears as they extended their gratitude to the crowd.

"I didn't make enough cake for everybody," Margaret Bennett told the crowd.

The Bennetts' home marked the fourth celebration of the day for Operation Blessing, a charity based in Virginia. Volunteers with the organization arrived in the Atlanta area Sept. 22 -- the day after the historic flooding -- and have been helping victims of the disaster ever since.

Earlier Saturday, three families on Five Oaks Place were surprised with major renovations.

"It's amazing to be able to make someone's dream come true," said Jody Herrington, director of U.S. disaster relief for the organization. Herrington's parents, who volunteered in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, made the trip to Cobb County from Aniston, Ala., to be a part of the celebration.

Volunteers sleep on cots in churches while participating in disaster relief efforts, Herrington said.

The celebration at the Bennett home continued long after many of the volunteers left Saturday evening. Margaret Bennett said there's always family at the home. And now there's a place for the family dinners.

"Things like this usually don't happen to us," Morris Bennett said.