By Michael Bowman
When Charles and Charlene Freeman went to bed the night of July 10, 2026, everything was calm and peaceful. But when they woke up the next morning, Charles and Charlene were fighting for their lives.
The Freemans live in Black, a rural part of Missouri, in a home they built 57 years ago. “We raised our children there,” said Charlene. “My husband is 83, and I’m 80. When we first got married, we built that house. And so, we've lived here our whole married life.”
Before going to bed around 10:30 pm, Charles had noticed it was beginning to rain but thought nothing of it, as it was just a slight drizzle. The couple went to bed that night, just like they had done for the past 57 years, with no idea the next morning would bring the most terrifying moment of their lives.
“My wife woke me up at 5:00, and there was water in the house,” Charles recalled. “And so, by the time I got up, it was waist deep.” The Freemans got out of bed, desperately trying to get out of the house as quickly as possible. However, the water continued to rise, making escape impossible. “It got up right close to my neck,” said Charles. “It was just swift around the house. We couldn't get out.”
Charlene shows Red Crosser Amanda how high up the floodwaters came and the damage around the home.
Charles and Charlene quickly jumped on a kitchen table to get above the water. But the table began to float amidst the rising water in the house. The table floated across the home when they managed to move to a kitchen counter. Shivering from the cold water, Charlene began to hear strange noises that caused her concern. “We didn't know if our house was going to cave in or what because it was cracking and popping. We just stood there in disbelief.”
Red Cross dropped off cleaning supplies to help the Freemans salvage whatever they could from their home.
As the Freemans stood on the kitchen counter surrounded by flood water, Charles noticed the garage door opening on its own, which meant one thing. The breaker box located in the basement of their home was still functioning. In addition to shivering cold temperatures, rising floodwaters, and fears that their home may collapse around them, Charles and Charlene now had to worry about electrocution.
As daylight broke, the water that devastated their home began to recede. Around 8:30 a.m., first responders pulled up in a boat to rescue the Freemans. While they were grateful to escape such a harrowing experience, they knew the place they called home throughout their entire married life of 57 years was gone forever.
“Fifty-seven years of memories gone,” Charlene reflected. “Raised our three kids there, and so all of our memories were there.”
Immediately after the flood, several organizations, including the American Red Cross, came in to help the people of Black, Lesterville, and other surrounding towns affected by the flooding pick up the pieces of their lives. Charles and Charlene left their flooded home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Red Cross volunteers helped them buy new clothes and provided cleaning supplies to help the Freemans salvage whatever they could from their home. But just as important, the Red Crossers provided comfort and encouragement to a couple whose forever home was destroyed along with 57 years of memories. “They were very caring. And they tried to help us in any way they could,” said Charlene.
Today, Charles and Charlene are living in an Airbnb while they plan their next phase in life. “I'd love to build right back where we were, but I'm too scared to,” Charlene shared. The house can’t be fixed. It’s off the foundation, and it's condemned. I worked so hard fixing the yard and flowers and stuff. I'd love to build right back where we were, but we just can't.’
Charlene cleans up debris in the garden she worked so hard to grow for over 50 years.
Each year, people throughout the nation face similar tragedies like Charles and Charlene Freeman. Red Cross volunteers bring a ray of light into a dark moment in people’s lives. Your donations help those suffering tragedies start their road to recovery.
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