Mae Amburgey and her son had to leave their home on Highway 119 as water started entering their house.
A 97-year-old Kentucky woman who lost her home in a flood died "of a broken heart", her granddaughter said. In July, the picture of Mae Amburgey had gone viral. In it, she was sitting on the ground surrounded by water in her home when the flooding happened in Eastern Kentucky. “I believe she died of a broken heart,” said Miss Amburgey Crovetti, her granddaughter told Lexington Herald-Leader. Crovetti said that she used to miss home. Amburgey had spent one week in Alabama with her son, unable to return to her flooded home.
I’m so sad to hear Mae Amburgey, lovely called Mom Mae, has passed away.
— Chad Hedrick (@ChadHedrickWKYT) October 12, 2022
It was an honor for me to tell her story of escaping the floods. I’m thinking of her family as they say their goodbyes to this strong lady. https://t.co/CIDb4DTxkL
The 97-year-old and her son had to leave their home on Highway 119 as water started entering their house. About 37 people died in the Kentucky floods. One of the bedrooms in Amburgey's house was in at least four feet of water, as reported by PEOPLE.
This photo is a gut punch. 98-yr-old Mae Amburgey of Whitesburg / Letcher Co. waiting to be rescued Thursday July 28th after floodwater entered her home.
— Shawn Reynolds (@ShawnReynolds_) July 29, 2022
Amburgey’s granddaughter, Missy Crovetti, reports she was rescued and is safe. pic.twitter.com/KxDrvWifGV
Crovetti had set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help her grandmother renovate the house. "During the recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky, my grandmother had to swim out of her home to the safety of boats waiting outside of her house to help her. The swim was a bit hairy and she was carried downstream a bit, before being rescued. She and her son, who swam with her, are recovering in the hospital," she wrote on the platform. "Her house is a total mess and like so many from the area, she may not have flood insurance. Any help would be greatly appreciated. She has never lived outside of Ermine, Ky, and would very much like to stay at home," she had written.
DRAMATIC VIDEO: A man rescues three people, including 98-year-old Mae Amburgey, from a flooded house in Whitesburg on Thursday, 7/28. #kyflooding
— kellydeannews (@kellydeannews) August 1, 2022
Credit Randy Polly pic.twitter.com/PrU7wxbB2q
She updated the platform about Amburgey's death on October 9. "It is with a heavy heart that I post today. This Morning MomMae passed. She put up one heck of a fight over the last couple of months. While our hearts are completely broken we are also relieved that she is no longer in pain. Ultimately, I feel she died of a broken heart. The last few days she had been praying for the Lord to bring her home, she is home now," she wrote. She called her grandmother "an incredible force who brought love, light, and kindness to everyone she met." She also thanked everyone for their kindness towards Amburgey and Eastern Kentucky. "You will never know how grateful we are for the love, prayers, and support from you." She is survived by three sons, eight grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. She also left behind a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Her funeral was held on October 15, 2022.
References:
https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article267203562.html
https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article267203562.html
https://www.gofundme.com/f/flooding-help-needs
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe.com
