Help Restore Our Farm and Community

Friends and family. Our hometown is devastated and destroyed in many places. Our house and our farm are safe but we have suffered significant damage to our land and buildings. We are extremely fortunate to all be alive and that each of our houses are intact. All of the animals are okay as well except for our duck. She made it through the storm but was killed by a raccoon because she wasn’t safe to do her usual survival routine in the water.

Many of our neighbors have lost houses and businesses and the death toll is climbing each day. We have accounted for most of our friends but without reliable cell service it is hard to make contact.

As of October 2nd we are still without power and water and may be for the rest of the week.

Jay was amazing while I was away. He prepared as best he could without knowing what was coming. He kept the animals alive and has worked tirelessly to prevent greater loss and devastation to our home. He saved my insulin too. He thought of everything. I am so proud and grateful and in love.

Every day that passes we learn more about the destruction and grief around us. Today I met a dozen swift water rescue volunteers while they were looking for bodies in our creek. I think this has been the most surreal experience so far. Helicopters are flying overhead every ten minutes and emergency vehicles are constantly driving by.

As we grieve we are also inspired and encouraged by our community. Everyone is showing up for one another. We are about to run out of horse feed and a dozen people reached out to help. Even with very limited cell service we are making contact, we are supported, and we are mostly safe.

Our loss hardly compares to the loss around us. And I still need to ask for help. Without the ability to make calls we are slow in contacting insurance but we have filed a claim. There is much they will not cover and Jay, Mark, Suzi, and myself may not be able to return to work for a while.

What we know we’ve lost so far:

70 bales of hay $840

Our wood splitter $1200

Our solar fence charger $285

Electric netting fencing $200

Garden fencing $1000

Moms enclosed trailer $4800

We estimate needing at least 5-8 dumpsters for clean up: $1500-$2400

Loss of income (we are hoping FEMA or disaster unemployment will cover this but I’m not sure how long that will take) due to no power or internet. For Jay and I this equals between $3000-$15,000 depending on when we are able to see clients and when we are able to reopen our office rental to other therapists.

Something I cannot calculate is my garden… I have spent every spare moment and dollar on this garden for the last 4 years. The strawberries and fruit trees remain but everything else is gone. This small part of land was everything to me. I shared it with friends and clients. Hummingbirds and monarch butterflies called it home. It was lush with flowers and squash and life. And it is buried beneath sand and mud and oil, gas, debris, and the neighbors barn.

We hope insurance will cover:

The retaining wall beneath our house.

Our driveway.

Our walk in barn.

But there is so much more that we aren’t aware of yet-what we have lost and what we need.

For now we have water and food and medical supplies. We have a stable roof and access to so many things that people just three miles down the road are without due to destroyed bridges and landslides.