Omaha family restores aunt's flood-damaged home to help fund her care

OMAHA, Neb. — Nearly a month after flash flooding hit Omaha, construction at an Elmwood Park home is still in its early phase.

The home belongs to Cici La Rosa, better known as Aunt Cici to her family. Relatives say Cici is at a rehabilitation center and does not know the extent of the damage to her home.

Mike and Paula Zabawa, along with other family members, are working to restore the house their aunt called home for decades.

"We had no idea until we got here at 9am on October 1st and it, it was shocking to see the entire basement filled with debris, mud and water," Mike Zabawa said.

For years, the home was the heart of the family's celebrations.

"Every year for many decades Aunt Cici hosted Easter every year, the whole family 30/40 people would pile in this 1000 sq ft home and somehow make a grand day of it," Zabawa said.

Before the flood, the family decided to sell the house to help pay assisted living bills. Now they are rebuilding basement walls and repairing the damage.

"Our goal is to restore the equity in the home prior to the flood and primarily for the benefit of aunt cici who needs the money to fund her assistant living for years to come," Zabawa said.

The family has started to fundraise independently and started a GoFundMe to help cover the repairs. They say every bit will help in getting Aunt Cici's home ready to sell.

"Shes just a beloved member of our family, we are doing this for her," Zabawa said.

Their goal is to restore the home's value so they can sell it and help pay for Aunt Cici's long-term care.

Click here to view the fundraiser on GoFundMe.

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