Muskogee County Community Helps Rebuild Home For Flood Victim

One Fort Gibson woman whose home was gutted during the spring flooding experienced the "Oklahoma Standard" first-hand.

Monday, November 18th 2019, 7:38 pm



One Fort Gibson woman whose home was gutted during the spring flooding experienced the "Oklahoma Standard" first-hand today.

For months Stella Cullum has sweated in the heat and shivered in the cold in this house that's barely standing. But what she didn't know, is today that would all change, thanks to selfless generosity from her neighbors.

As car after car entered Cullum’s home Monday morning, tears flooded her eyes. "We have enough to rebuild your entire home, inside and out, Muskogee County Commissioner Ken Doke told Cullum.

“Wow, I'm so thankful you guys don't know how much this means to me,” Stella said joyfully. 

Muskogee Habitat of Humanity, Lowes and Emergency Management crews, covered her street with building materials getting to work immediately to rebuild her home from the ground up.

"I know they are working on their own time and donating it to me and don't even know me, so it must be something coming from the heart,” says Cullum.

Cullum's home was one of the hardest during this Spring's historic flooding. When Doke saw how she'd been living, he rallied the entire community.

"It broke my heart when I saw her like, so the fact that we are rebuilding the home that her husband built for her decades ago, it’s just a heartwarming situation."

"Stella's our neighbor, so showing that neighborly love is what habitat for humanity is all about,” says Chris Gideon with Muskogee Habitat for Humanity. 

Throughout the morning, Cullum observed all the volunteers working selflessly, and told News on 6 she saw a once waterlogged, decaying structure, transforming back into her home she loved.  “I don't need anything else for Christmas forever,” says Cullum.

Contractors say they plan to finish the exterior and insulation by Thanksgiving. Habitat for Humanity also says they are partnering with the same organizations for another project in December.

Previous Story: Elderly Fort Gibson Flood Survivor Still Living Without Insulation 

The goal is to help everyone in Muskogee county.

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