Neighbors Loving Neighbors, begun as a canned food drive during the Greenbrier Classic, and created by hotel owner Jim Justice, has now partnered with West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WVVOAD) to identify families with the greatest need in the White Sulphur Springs area. A total of 24 homes will be rebuilt or repaired through the collaboration of Neighbors Loving Neighbors,
WVVOAD, the National Guard and the Mennonite Disaster Service, which will be performing the construction on the new homes. The construction project in White Sulphur Springs is seen as a pilot for a statewide project to rebuild homes across West Virginia for families who lost everything in the June 23 flood.
Anyone who believes they may qualify for a home rebuild through Neighbors Loving Neighbors should contact WVVOAD at 3045-235-2692, ext. 6 or visit www.wvvoad.org.
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Road repair work has begun on roads destroyed after the June 23 flood. Beginning in Caldwell on WV Rt. 63, a high traffic road that was completely washed out and has already been repaired with aggregate, will be the initial point for repaving, said Jim Moore with the West Virginia Department of Transportation Division of Highways District 9. Caldwell, Fort Springs and areas in White Sulphur will be completed first, then repair efforts will go to Charmco Mountain on WV Rt. 20 and U.S. 60. “Once one location is finished, the contractor will go to the next site,” Moore said. “After the primary roads are completed, they will move on to repave and patch the secondary roadways.”
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Applications are being accepted for a new family housing development known as Hope Village in White Sulphur Springs. Anyone whose home was lost in the flood who is unable to afford any other option is encouraged to register and apply. Hope Village is a new housing development located on Big Draft Road in which 42 new homes will be built using donated land and as much volunteer labor as possible. The goal is to provide permanent, affordable housing to those in need following the June flood. Applicant deadline for the first phase of houses (first six to 10 homes) is Sept. 7. For the remaining houses, the deadline is Oct. 1. The first step to apply is to complete the Help Contact Form at www.homesforwv.org and an application will be emailed. Applicants can also stop by the office at 793 East Main Street (next to 50 East Restaurant) to pick up an application.
