Five-Generation Home Restored After Hurricane Helene

For five generations, the Lindsay family have lived in the same house in Spartanburg, South Carolina — a place shaped by laughter, shared work, and long-held traditions. This house was where the family gathered and grew. Stories were told and retold. Lessons were passed down from generation to generation.

This house was the center of Johnny Lindsay and his sister Brenda’s world when they were growing up. It’s where their great-grandmother, lovingly known as Grandmomma, taught them how to cook, sew, garden, and clean. Whenever the family was all together, the house was full, sometimes with as many as 17 children at once! Regardless of the number of occupants, the house was always full of love, joy, and togetherness.

“Family was very important to my great-grandmother,” Johnny shares. “She taught us to love and support one another, and she believed we could always come together and find a solution to any problem.”

Then came Hurricane Helene. During the devastating storm of September 2024, a large oak tree fell onto the Lindsays’ roof. And even after the storm had passed, the house sat damaged and exposed for more than a year, the fallen tree still resting where it had landed, rain and weather continuing their destructive work. The beauty of what generations had built was slowly slipping away.

Then hope arrived. More than a year after the storm, the Lindsays’ case reached the Spartanburg County Long-term Recovery Group. The Lutheran Emergency Response Team finally removed the fallen tree, but by then the roof had entirely collapsed, and the damage had gone beyond a simple repair.

That’s when the community rallied and rebuilding began. Mennonite Disaster Service volunteers drove in from around the country and started from the ground up: pouring a new foundation, framing walls, hanging drywall, crafting new cabinets, and laying floors.

The Salvation Army and community partners funded the reconstruction efforts. They furnished the home with new appliances and bedroom furniture so the family would have everything they needed when they were finally able to walk back through their door.

This house rebuild was made possible by donors from across the country and around the world who gave through The Salvation Army in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Many of these donors never saw the damaged roof or the house’s sagging walls; they didn’t need to. They knew a storm had taken something precious from someone, and they chose to respond. Their generosity provided exactly what was needed to rebuild a house, making it possible for this family to return home with dignity, safety, and hope.

Today, the house stands proud and solid once again. It is built to last, designed to withstand even an F5 tornado. A large front porch now runs the length of the house, and inside, hand-built cabinets line the kitchen walls. It is a testament of love, resilience, and a community working together to restore hope.

“God sent a group of people to restore our family home,” Johnny says. “Only God can do that. All He wants us to do is love one another. Can you imagine what kind of world we could have if we all loved one another?”

In April, Johnny and Brenda gathered with volunteers and community partners to dedicate their home. Though much of it has been rebuilt, its heart remains unchanged. Sunlight fills the kitchen just as it always has, and purple irises continue to flourish in the yard. This home is now restored, and its story can continue.

Five generations have lived in this house. And because of many willing hands and generous support, its story didn’t end with the storm.