Brenda Moore moved into her new home in the Moorman community on June 19, after spending about 18 months staying in various places, most recently a motel in Madisonville. The widow and her dog, Jazzy, were survivors of the Dec. 10, 2021 tornado. They were finally able to come home last week.
Bremen mayor Allen Miller and his wife, Stacy, were loading boxes from their vehicle into Moore’s two-bedroom, two-bath home, helping her get settled. Stacy Miller led Moore around the home for a tour. Moore told them how glad she is to be out of the motel.
Moore lost just about everything she owned in the tornado. She was home at the time when it hit, and she and Jazzy took shelter as best they could. Moore ended up with a broken femur, knee and ankle as well as issues with her shoulder and back.
Moore said she was prepared to take shelter in a closet, but Jazzy had other plans. “I spent that evening cleaning the closet out, just in case, but she put her feet down and wouldn’t let me.” She said the lights went out and she used the light on her phone to see. “The floor was going like this,” Moore said, as she moved her hand in a waving motion.
The trailer where Moore lived was destroyed, with only a shed left in tact. Now, she has a 1,296 square-foot home on the property where her trailer used to sit.
The home was built and paid for by volunteers from eastern Tennessee. Hope With A Hammer is a community of skilled volunteers who have been responding to disasters for two decades. Based in Maryville, Tennessee, their mission is “to restore hope for hurting people around the world, to see that God hasn’t abandoned them in their time of difficulty.”
Hope With A Hammer raises funds for their projects through churches and other sources, and then they provide free labor to build homes all over the country and in other countries, responding to natural disasters, illness and poverty.
The group of volunteers first came just days after the tornado, to help clear away debris. They were able to clear Moore’s property at that time.
Tommy Roberts is founder of Hope With A Hammer, and spoke with the Leader-News by telephone on June 19. Roberts said they came just after the tornado, and helped to clear properties around the Bremen area. After talking with local first responders, they were made aware of Moore’s situation, and decided she would be someone they could help.
“We’re here to help anyone who needs it,” Roberts said, “but we’re really trying to help those who can’t help themselves. Sheriff and fire department folks told us about Ms. Moore, living alone and not having insurance. So not only were we able to clean up her property on the front end, we were able to come back and design her a home to fit her needs, and build it,” Roberts said.
The project started in September of 2022. Volunteers were in the county for a week and were able to frame up the home, and complete the exterior including the trim. They installed the interior mechanical elements, electrical wiring and plumbing, and were hoping to return the next week with a goal of moving Moore into her home by the holidays.
Complications with inspections put the project on hold for more than three months, Roberts said. After the first of the year they were able to come back again, and lay flooring, install cabinetry and get the interior almost finished. Things finally wrapped up this month.
“It took us longer than we’re typically accustomed to, but we’re just happy that she’s finally getting to come home,” Roberts said.
