Divya and Terry McArthur's lives changed when two hurricanes - Michael and Florence, ravaged through their town and destroyed their family home.
The North Carolina house, which was built in the 1970s, was passed down to Divya by her grandmother, making the property something of sentimental value.
"I've been asked by people who are close to me, "˜Why would you go back?'" Divya, a salon owner, said. "Because it's my home. I grew up in this house. My grandmother left it to me. She put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this house. I'm emotionally tied to it, but it's also an obligation."
The house sustained severe damages to its walls, floors, and roof due to the flooding that followed the storms. All of the furniture, appliances, and precious items were also lost.
Divya and Terry, who have a 12-year-old son, never purchased flood insurance so they haven't been able to get help with repairing the abode.
"I can't think about the flood and not think about things that I had, like my wedding gown, our wedding album," Divya explained to People. "It was devastating, to say the least. Matthew caught us by surprise with the flooding. We were told that this wouldn't happen again for 500 years. We did some preventative measures. You kind of hunker down before a storm, but never did we think that there would be water back in our house. Not 22 months after another storm."
After months of trying to figure out their next steps, the family received news they were not expecting at all - their house would be fixed and refurnished and it wouldn't cost them a dime.
To deliver the news, the Home Depot Foundation and their nonprofit partner Operation Blessing enlisted the help of The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon.
On a recent episode of the show, the comedian surprised Terry and Divya, who believed they won free tickets to the taping, by revealing that their family home would finally be brought back to life.
"I heard him, but I didn't really grasp it because I was really in shock," Divya recalled. "You see things like this on TV, but you never expect for it to happen to you. It feels like a dream. Our lives will never be the same."
The organizations, along with 400,000 volunteers, will making the house feel like home again by fixing the roof, adding a new furnace and appliances, repainting the house, and giving the backyard a makeover.
This gift has strengthened Divya's faith in humanity despite all the negative things that are going on around the world.
"This has allowed me to see that even with the headlines today, there is still hope for us," Divya said. "There are still those that have their heart for other people."
The McArthurs are just one of many families who will be benefiting from the foundation's $5 million pledge to disaster relief this year.
