Shortly after 8pm the day after Valentine’s Day, as residents in the Southern WV Coalfields settled in their homes for the evening, a wall of water and devastation came rushing at them—bringing with it literal mountainsides.

Without warning, on the backdrop of dusk, people scrambled to get to safety and locate loved ones as homes quickly swelled with water and mud. Knocking out power, ruining heat systems, filling the cavities of every appliance, and leaving freshly washed clothes, dishes in the dishwasher and Valentine’s Day leftovers in the fridge in a pile of sludge. The morning light came to reveal the true horror of loss, not only lives & demolished homes but memories built over years. The destruction I witnessed in this aftermath can only be described as resembling a place where a bomb went off.

With the help of fellow REALTOR® Sarah Milam, we visited with intentions to get money for the area to help with recovery—what a journey we embarked upon! Navigating washed out roads and roadways filled feet deep in trash and mud, bridges gone, trash hanging in laid over trees marking how deep and fierce the water was. We visited families who had lost everything, documenting as much as we could and stopping occasionally to catch a breath and have an emotional cry.

Response from efforts of that trip set into motion a wealth of calls, zooms, texts & emails. Alisa Jackson & our West Virginia REALTOR® Relief Fund committee agreed to help, while Alisa and Ray worked on obtaining a grant from REALTORS® Relief Foundation. Within 2 weeks of the flood, Alisa, Sarah and I were able to visit the previously visited families with checks for relief and visit with more families to help.

Soon after, we celebrated Alisa’s success in obtaining the $250,000 grant. However, restrictions RRF has with grant money plus lack of technology, damaged road access and simple trust from area residents became a big hurdle. But REALTORS® know who we R, and making the right connections set everything into motion. We met several trusted community leaders who quickly helped us spread the word that we had money to give and wanted nothing in return. They gave us a central headquarters to work out of and hand-delivered applications to people in areas too remote or inaccessible to reach. Now with a system in place, we tag-teamed applications from Welch to Beckley to Charleston and tag-teamed back checks to hand out on the next visit.

Three months later, our time was nearing the end with the expiration of the grant. With people still in need, we did a huge push on social media and set up several days of taking applications. When all was over, we gave out a total of $108,300.00 in relief funds to families that I can personally promise needed every penny.

Emotionally, I was a trainwreck by the last day, feeling that I was abandoning the people that I had grown to love so much, tears even swell as I write and reflect. I made the strongest & best friendships with some of the most amazing people. We shoveled mud together for neighbors, passed out food to the community and shared fellowship time discussing who needed what the most and how we could help. Realizing I didn’t have to stop just because the money ran out, the connections I’ve made carry on. I still volunteer at the local food pantry in Welch where we set up REALTOR® relief headquarters and am able to realize that friendship transcends circumstances.

As REALTORS®, we also share a special connection with each other—we experience most times the same work-related occurrences and bond by sharing crazy Real Estate stories. Also as REALTORS®, we help each other and our communities. This grant and your donations to help our coalfield neighbors truly proves how strong and caring we are. I’m so very proud to be a steward of the heartfelt caring dollars you trust to go into the right hands, and the amazing committee I stand with. My wish is that I could give to you the gratitude, love, hugs, and tears of relief that you created with your donations. Please don’t hesitate to continue donating to REALTOR® Relief. Even if your donation is small—every penny adds up.

So many thanks to Alisa Jackson for all your hard work and our committee: Jill Allman, Christa Vance, Dea Kennen, Glenna Swiger, & Stacy Wilson; to Ray for helping guide us, and special thanks to Sarah Milam for being my support and shoulder to cry on.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart,
Paige Powers