Vera Arnold*, the face of courage and kindess, is happily back on the front porch of the place she has called home for 60 years.
Vera spends most of her free time on the stoop of her Antioch home, exchanging waves to passing cars, and watching children play at the preschool across the street. But during the May 2010 flood, her daily routine was upended. As the creek behind her house quickly rose and worked its way inside, the urging of her children and neighbors finally convinced her to leave. With their support, Vera descended her front steps and floated to higher ground through the water overtaking the yard. The entire first floor, of the home where she raised her five children, was devastated.
Within days of the storm, the actual flood gave way to a flood of volunteers. With help from area churches and through a flood grant from The Community Foundation to Southeast Nashville Recovery, efforts were underway to restore Vera’s home.
On October 25, 2010, with the rebuild complete and donated furniture in place, Vera received a homecoming that would rival her own hospitality as a crowd congratulated her with rounds of applause.
“I couldn’t help but cry,” Vera said of her return home. “It was like a dream.”
*The name in this story has not been changed.
