MARIANNA, Fla. (AP) -James Abney lost everything when a tornado spawned by Hurricane Ivan demolished everything he had – except remnants of the kitchen sink.
The only thing left where his trailer home had been standing was his kitchen faucet, supported by narrow water pipes. In fact, the faucet became a beacon of hope, towering at sink-level in a devastated trailer park.
After seeing an Associated Press photograph of the spigot sticking into the air, Delta Faucet workers recognized the fixture as one of theirs and tracked Abney down.
On Monday, the Indianapolis-based company gave Abney $10,000 toward a down payment on his new home in Abbeville, Ala.
“Oh my gosh, it was a total surprise,” Abney told the Tallahassee Democrat. “It’s a godsend.”
Delta spokeswoman Cori McCormick said the company called the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for help finding the 55-year-old Air Force retiree.
“We felt strongly enough and we found a way to make it happen,” she said.
Abney said the twister ripped the sink from around the tap, which he said he now sees “as my rainbow.”
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