Help Francisca Get Back Home After #hurricaneida

Hi, my name is Lorraine and I'm fundraising for my beloved mom and friend to so many of you, Francisca Borges.

 

On the night of September 1st, 2021, my husband and I decided it would be best for mom to stay at our house overnight so she wouldn't be alone as remnants of Hurricane Ida moved in. We were able to monitor her house during the early hours of the evening when suddenly there was no connection. We found out later that the power had gone out, disabling her security cameras. We thought by morning the worst would be over and she would be able to go back home. Little did we know that by then, the worst was only beginning.

 

At around 4am the next morning of September 2nd, I received a call from mom's neighbors. According to them, two significant parts of her home's foundation (in her backyard and inside her garage) had collapsed into her basement causing it to flood with about 7 feet of water, breaking a gas and water pipe in the process.

Everything in the basement, including washer, dryer, sump pump, hot water heater, furnace boiler and humidifier, were a total loss. In addition to the basement items, her garage door was completely derailed from the strength of the water pressure which is how the foundation wall inside collapsed as well.

 

As a side note, it's a miracle mom stayed with us that night and wasn't home alone with that gas leak. Had she been home sleeping or caused the gas in the air to be ignited with just the flick of a light switch, I don't want to think of what could've happened. That same night there was an explosion in an empty house not too far from her home due to the very same thing.

 

When the fire department arrived later that morning, they thought they would be able to simply drain the water out from the basement. However, it wasn't until the Chief came to assess the situation that it was decided the water could not be drained since two major areas of foundation were missing. If the water was drained, there was a high risk the house would collapse from the pressure of the water exiting. She had to wait until the water naturally receded.

 

Maybe a day or two later as we're waiting for the water to recede, we discover that now there was an oil spill from the oil tank in her basement. The tank had been dislodged from the flooding in the basement. This meant another expense for the soil and water to be sampled and tested by the state for contamination.

 

Because of the power having to be shut off, all of the food in her refrigerator sat there for 2 months producing an infestation of maggots from the rotted meat and other foods in there. The refrigerator of only several years couldn't even be cleaned out. Another total loss.

 

The house was deemed uninhabitable by the city and mom was only able to have a firefighter go in and grab her medications. Nothing else. She only had one pair of clothes at our house since she had stayed overnight expecting to go back. She had to go shopping for everything...pants, shoes, pajamas, socks, underwear, etc.

 

She applied for FEMA right away. Many people had asked how they could help monetarily. She decided to wait to see how much her insurance would cover and then also how much FEMA would help with. Her home insurance denied TWO claims because she had no flood insurance. As a result, FEMA also denied her application explaining that they were not a replacement to insurance but could only cover anything the insurance would not. We were all in a state of shock. Everything would have to come out of her pocket. My mother, a 78 year old retired widow (my father passed away four years ago) would now have to tap into her retirement savings to be able to restore her house of 43 years in order for her to be able to move back in.

 

All who know my mother know she is the epitome of generosity, sacrificial love towards others and humility. No matter what. "No" has never been a part of her vocabulary. It is my sincere hope and prayer that now she could experience that same benevolence and love in return from all whom read this.  On behalf of my mom and family, our sincerest appreciation and THANK YOU in advance for any and all donations made towards this cause.  

 

I've attached an itemization of costs and also pictures of the damage for you to see: