Veteran aims to rebuild home washed away by Helene as mortgage company seeks payment
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Some people are still struggling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. A disabled veteran whose home was destroyed last September said his mortgage company is after him now because he's behind in his payments.
The community where Gary Mooneyham's home once stood is off of State Highway 353, about 18 miles east of Greeneville. When he would step on his porch for coffee, he had a spectacular view of the mountains. The view is still there, but his house is not, and he can't get any help to replace it.
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The foundation is all that's left of Mooneyham's home. Before the storm last fall, other houses surrounded his property.
'I watched the house across the road from me wash away first. I didn't expect it to come no further,' said Mooneyham.
The now calm Nolichucky River was angry the morning of September 27, as Mooneyham sipped coffee on his back porch.
'The Emergency Response guys walked up and said you need to get dressed and come on. I said, what do you mean come on? I ain't going nowhere. I said I ain't leaving my property. They said, oh, yeah you are. I said, no I ain't. He said, don't make me haul you out of here,' said Mooneyham.
Mooneyham left, then returned a few weeks later recording a video.
'This is October 19, This is what is left of my property. I mean, everything, everything is gone,' said Mooneyham in the video. 'This whole neighborhood is devastated. It ain't no more. It's gone.'
Water from the Nolichucky rose nearly 25 feet and sliced a path of destruction through his community.
'I never expected anything like this. Nobody else did either,' said Mooneyham.
For nearly half a mile, the once tree-lined area along Bill Mauk Road has disappeared the storm took everything with it.
'It was woods. There were campsites. The road went right through here,' he said.
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Bill Mauk Road used to run in front of Mooneyham's home but was washed away. The Bill Mauk bridge over the Nolichucky also disappeared, as did the State Highway 353 bridge. It's now being rebuilt. Mooneyham said 15 homes went down the river last September.
Mooneyham bought his two-bedroom place in April 2017 using a home loan from the VA. The home was elevated.
'The VA does not give mortgages on flood zones,' said Mooneyham.
Today, his homeowner's insurance company won't cover the loss. Farm Bureau wrote, 'Water damage is excluded.' FEMA cut Mooneyham a check for $46,000, which he used to buy a small camper trailer. However, he was hoping for more from the government.
'I was asking for help on my mortgage and everything because I still owe $85,000 on this patch of dirt right here,' said Mooneyham.
Freedom Mortgage has been after him since he stopped his monthly payments.
'They want their mortgage payments. They will want their money, but I'm not giving it to them because I ain't got nothing to give for,' said Mooneyham.
He's behind more than $3,200 in his mortgage and does not plan to make it up.
'I told them you come up here and build my house or help me get it back, I'll start paying the mortgage again or go to foreclosure,' said Mooneyham.
Mooneyham is a 100 percent disabled Vietnam veteran. He earned two Bronze Stars for Valor and a Purple Heart. His ribbons, like his home, were lost in the flood.
'I would like that mortgage company to have some heart and soul and realize the shape that I'm in and help me,' said Mooneyham.
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He doesn't know how many of his neighbors will want to rebuild, but he does.
'I want my home back so I can die in peace. I thought I was going to live and die here,' said Mooneyham.
Over the weekend, Mooneyham received a notice from his homeowners insurance company, that his yearly premium of $1,300 is due. He couldn't believe they sent it to him. Mooneyham has applied for assistance from several agencies that he says have helped others rebuild in his hard-hit community.
He's hoping FEMA's 'Financial Housing Assistance Program' will come through. The program helps qualified homeowners replace a primary residence that is destroyed. Mooneyham told us, he's not the kind of guy that likes handouts, but in this case, he just wants a 'fair deal.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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