CHATHAM COUNTY, N.C. — What started as a quick storm cleanup turned into a two-year nightmare for Thomasine Taylor. Every week, she made the 20-mile drive to check on her house — the one her mother gave her — just to make sure it was still standing.

“I didn’t want to tear it down because it’s family,” Taylor said. “My mom gave it to me. I wanted to keep it.”

Back in October 2022, Taylor came home from work to find a massive tree had crashed through her roof, leaving her home unlivable. Her insurance company issued a payout of roughly $200,000, which she says went directly to a contractor she trusted to rebuild.

But months passed, and progress stalled.

“The reconstruction was supposed to take six to 12 months,” Taylor said. “Two years later, the house still wasn’t livable.”

Records fro

See Full Page