Hurricane Ida Relief for Datu & Paduganao Family
Hi, my name is Marianne Datu. On behalf of my family, I am fundraising for my siblings and their families who suffered losses due to Hurricane Ida that swept through the northeast.
My oldest sister, Mheryll Paduganao & her husband, Jun Paduganao, have a 6-year-old daughter, Gabriella. Their beautiful two-story home in Manville, NJ suffered massive damage. The flood waters, which is filled with sewage, chemicals, toxins, etc., filled the entirety of their basement. Everything below, submerged and gone. The pool of flood water eventually caused damage to their first floor, causing the flooring to lift, making the home unsafe. Mheryll and Jun put their blood, sweat and tears into turning their fixer-upper home into a dream home, so seeing their hard work completely shatter in this way breaks our hearts. Still today, they are working on repairing their home, day by day, but it takes a toll on their health. All they ask is for help getting back on their feet, as insurance covers some, but not all the damage Ida caused. Please consider helping them as they rebuild their beautiful home and start anew!
My second oldest sister, Charmy Datu, has a 9-year-old son, Christian. Alongside Charmy & Christian, my oldest brother, Ricky Datu, all lived together in a first-floor apartment building in Manville, NJ. Hurricane Ida left absolutely nothing but destruction. Charmy and Ricky woke up in the middle of the night to find their apartment floors covered in flood water. The water completely filled their shared basement, where they kept some of their belongings and it reached as far as their shins on the first floor. They couldn't even drive to safety, as their cars were completely submerged and immobile. In a panic, they all packed what they could carry as they waited for rescue boats to come and save them from the flood, leaving behind their home and cars. After the flood dissipated, they came back to find almost everything destroyed and belongings too damaged to keep. Even worse, the home itself completely uninhabitable. Today, Charmy, Christian, and Ricky are homeless and car-less. Again, insurance covers only so much, but finding a new place to live is rather difficult without shelling out the money upfront (deposit, first month, and even realtor fees) and the same goes for finding a car. Please consider helping them as they are struggling to find their footing again after such a traumatic event.
Although lots of material things were lost, Ida took more than just belongings, it caused irrevocable damage to my family's lives. They are living in fear this may happen again, the stress of homelessness and of course, the traumatic experience of going through such a disaster. If you've made it this far, I appreciate you for even listening to their stories. I wish it wasn't something that anyone in this world ever had to go through, but once you've seen it right before your eyes, you can't look at things the same ever again. It makes you feel all the more blessed for the people in your life who support you through it all, despite the obstacles. It's also okay to not always put on a strong face, it's okay to ask for help.
I hope you at least can understand what my family is going through and we would appreciate any and all help during this tough time. We are eternally grateful just knowing you care. If you can't donate, but still want to help, please raise awareness & share this page, thank you! ♥
*All funds raised will be handled by me (Marianne) & allocated accordingly.
Please see below for pictures (courtesy of my sisters) of the damage caused by Hurricane Ida:
