Rebuilding Quinta de Paz
Donation protected
Our new farm, which we moved into in February, was partly destroyed in the firestorm that hit Portugal on 15th October, 2017. There has been a disturbing lack of media coverage, so many people are shocked to hear that the fires, which were the worst in Portuguese history, destroyed more than twice the area of land as the California fires in a country half the size. And it did this in less than 24 hours. Portugal has simply never burnt like this before. It was catastrophic.
Our little community has been devasted. Over 40 families we know lost everything they own, so in comparison we feel fortunate that even part of our farm is still standing, even though our losses were considerable.
We lost 3 buildings in total: the barn and all it's contents (mostly tools and furniture and building materials) , a schist cotttage we used to accommodate guests and our bathroom which housed our only on-site toilets.
We also lost 2 vehicles: our jeep that we used to access the farm via a steep 4wd track, and our large American truck. The only way we can get to the farm now is by walking from a neighbouring mountain, 20 minutes away. All our water pipes burnt so there is currently no water on the farm and our solar system, newly installed at a cost of £4,000, fried completely.
We lost our woodstore which had recently been filled with enough wood to last the winter. And the loss of our guesthouse facilities - the schist cottage, a 6m tipi, a 5m belltent, the outdoor kitchen and guest bathroom - mean that we lost our Airbnb income too. We also lost our mountain bikes, lots of hand tools, gym equipment, and our brand new cooker.
We had house insurance but they have refused to pay out so we are raising funds to help rebuild everything and really appreciate any help you can offer.
Love Frankie, Joe and Rufus x
Our little community has been devasted. Over 40 families we know lost everything they own, so in comparison we feel fortunate that even part of our farm is still standing, even though our losses were considerable.
We lost 3 buildings in total: the barn and all it's contents (mostly tools and furniture and building materials) , a schist cotttage we used to accommodate guests and our bathroom which housed our only on-site toilets.
We also lost 2 vehicles: our jeep that we used to access the farm via a steep 4wd track, and our large American truck. The only way we can get to the farm now is by walking from a neighbouring mountain, 20 minutes away. All our water pipes burnt so there is currently no water on the farm and our solar system, newly installed at a cost of £4,000, fried completely.
We lost our woodstore which had recently been filled with enough wood to last the winter. And the loss of our guesthouse facilities - the schist cottage, a 6m tipi, a 5m belltent, the outdoor kitchen and guest bathroom - mean that we lost our Airbnb income too. We also lost our mountain bikes, lots of hand tools, gym equipment, and our brand new cooker.
We had house insurance but they have refused to pay out so we are raising funds to help rebuild everything and really appreciate any help you can offer.
Love Frankie, Joe and Rufus x
Organizer
Chiquita Bonita
Organizer
Benfeita, 6