Celianne La Rosa had been living in the home for almost 50 years, according to local news outlet KETV

NEED TO KNOW

• Celianne La Rosa, 94, has lived in her Omaha home for nearly 50 years, but recent flooding in Nebraska has left it uninhabitable
• The damage is expected to cost more than $50,000 to repair, and La Rosa’s home insurance does not cover flooding
• Her family is raising money to restore the property so she can sell it to help pay for assisted living

The family of a 94-year-old Nebraska woman is rallying their community to try to save her home after it was ravaged by recent floods.

Celianne La Rosa, known by loved ones as Aunt Cici, has lived in the same home in the Elmwood Gardens neighborhood of Omaha for almost 50 years, according to ABC-affiliate KETV NewsWatch 7.

However, gushing flood waters caused by storms in late September washed away entire portions of her home’s basement level, according to both the outlet and a verified GoFundMe created by Celianne’s niece, Paula Zabawa.

Paula — who describes her aunt as a “friendly, warm, wonderful person” — added that the home is now “uninhabitable” after the basement was “filled completely with water, mud and debris.” She also noted that “all the home’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems” need to be replaced. 

Paula said that Celianne’s home insurance does not cover flooding, and Celianne — a widow who lives on a fixed income — cannot begin to afford the repairs the home needs, which Paula said are expected to be “well over $50,000.”

Worse yet, Paula said that her aunt had been planning to sell the house in order to afford care in an assisted living community.

“Cici’s main asset is her home, which is now at risk of being worthless unless we act now and quickly,” Paula explained.

Paula said that she and her husband, Mike, have already done much work on the house since the initial devastation, but much more is needed in order for Celianne to be able to sell the property and ultimately get the longterm care she needs.

“The home has been stabilized with shoring and the basement completely gutted to the walls and ceiling. This was a major endeavor. All debris and mud have been removed. Alls that is left is the stairs. We are working on getting the foundation wall rebuilt and a plan for the HVAC, plumbing and electrical in place,” she said.

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She went on to say that Cici and her late husband, Matteo, “served their community” and “opened their home to our extended family” for decades, adding that her aunt now deserves “our unwavering support” in her time of need.

“Please reach out to me if you have questions, would like to share your time and talents in the restoration or other ideas we can use to help Cici. We would welcome them,” she added.

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