A business venture that started without expectations of much success has turned into a necessity in the wake of disaster.
Newport, Tennessee-based Incredible Tiny Homes has gifted two of its buildings to people who lost everything in the wake of Hurricane Helene in late September, People reported.
Owners Randy Jones and Amanda Hayes, who started the company 10 years ago, "thought it was gonna be a fad," Jones told the magazine. After flooding and other problems swept through the area and caused widespread devastation, a former colleague told them about James Gregory, whose home was unlivable.
On Oct. 15, the 84-year-old Del Rio man was gifted a 160-square-foot Incred-I-Box, which retails for $18,000. He and his seven dogs now have a roof over their heads.
"I can't believe it," he told WVLT, via People. "You need to pinch me to see if I am dreaming.
"Lost about everything, it looks like. Except myself."
During the delivery, Jones and Hayes found another person they wanted to help: Tony Mosley, a 50-something former firefighter.
"People are so desperate and need these homes," Hayes told People. "From the backyard beginnings to now being able to give these homes to these two guys and to help other people, the feeling, I can't even put it into words."
The effects of Hurricane Helene, which was a tropical storm when it reached the Volunteer State, were worsened by preceding rain. Hundreds of people were killed across six states, including at least 12 in Tennessee.
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Relief efforts are ongoing, including fundraising drives, and the state's own Dolly Parton pledged $1 million to the cause.
Before he even moved into his new home, Gregory was already working on paying it forward. Diagnosed with lymphoma, he wants the house to go to someone else after his death.
"Maybe I can live a while longer," he told WVLT.
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