Friends, Neighbors Come Together To Rebuild After W.Va. Explosion
FOLLANSBEE (KDKA) – West Virginia authorities are trying to find the source of a natural gas explosion that destroyed a home on Elderville Road near Follansbee Friday, killing 13-year-old Hannah Mozingo and injuring her mother, father and sister.
"My daughter is real good friends with her and she's taking it pretty hard," said volunteer Bobbi Bain. "I went to school to pick her up yesterday. They had five counselors at the school."
Like many people who came to the neighborhood today, Bain is worried about the Mozingo family. The explosion, which could be felt for miles around, reduced their home to rubble, destroying everything they owned.
"They have donations set up at a few different banks around to donate to the family, because obvisouly they did lose everything," Bain said.
Other community groups are also trying to raise money. A haunted house in Weirton is donating half the proceeds from Saturday night and next Friday to the Mozingo family.
"When you have a family like this, I don't think it does anything more than hit you, right in the heart and you think of your own family, and other families," said Richard Soplinski of Krazy 'Bout Sports. "I just think people really step up, in times like this, and we needed to help them."
More than a half-dozen homes in the neighborhood were heavily damaged – some are still without water and electricity.
While they think about the family who lost everything, neighbors have started the long process of rebuilding their homes and repairing their lives, and they're getting help from friends, family, even strangers.
Pam Wood and Lynnette White from Gables Care Center came to help a co-worker whose house is next door to the explosion.
"There's not one unbroken wall," White said. "There's not one un-cracked window. It's devastating."
They're also reaching out to the neighborhood, with hot food, water and other supplies.
"We're here to support our co-worker, we're here to support our community," White said. "We're here, just to help out."
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