George Family House Fire

On Christmas Eve, around 10a - the front room of the George Family house caught on fire.  The two teenagers who were in the house at the time first saw the smoke, went to the room and saw curtains and a mattress on fire.  They went for water, but there was no water running in the house at the time (water cuts off regularly in Tobago), and by the time neighbors were able to start pulling water from a nearby water tank, the fire was too far gone. 

Their clothes, furniture, mattresses, kitchenwares, refrigerator, stove, pots and pans, documents, TVs, family photos - absolutely everything inside the house burned.  

Their family has lived in this house for over 50 years.  It was home to 8 people at the time, most of whom lost literally everything except the clothes they had on at the time.  

For the foreseeable future, they'll be spread out in different houses in the village, staying with neighbors, other family members and renting rooms.  

This family is an absolutely wonderful family and this house was home to one of my closest friends in Tobago.  The house is right in the center of Castara and it felt like a movie seeing videos of their house burning.  Given how the fire went through the entire house, they will have to knock down the house and rebuild it entirely. 

Tobago people are resilient people, but we can definitely do a lot to ease the burden and hardship they will be facing for the next months and likely years while they rebuild.   I asked my friend to estimate the total cost to rebuild and he 

Money will go towards the following:
  - Clothing & basic needs
  - Building materials to start rebuilding the house (Concrete, metal rods, roofing  materials, fixtures, tiles, electrical, plumbing etc...)
  - Furniture, appliances & housewares 

The fire service estimated the damage was 2,000,000TT, which is about 300,000USD.  What was in this house represented an entire lifetime of work and building for this family.  Let's please all do that we can to ease their burden and help them begin rebuilding.  

I love you all and hope that everyone is saying strong and together during the holidays and this challenging season.  

Let us not forget, just like in High School Musical - we're all in this together.