Hurricane relief…. For someone we all love

My name is Amy Bodner Smail, 

Rarely do the ones who help you, need help themselves, nor are they accepting of it. However no one ever expects multiple tornados to hit their home in one night. I teach my kids empathy through example and I take pride in being an unconditional friend to those who are in my life. I have been fortunate to have lived in several places and and made lifelong friends, why? Because distance means nothing when you are a good friend. A friend through good times, through difficult times, and everything in between. Most importantly, when those you care about need you to unconditionally support them without judgement. 

 Amanda’s not just a friend, she has become the only “family” we have in south Florida. She’s our first call when David and I are in a bind, and can’t get to the car line in time, if one of the kids are sick and i can’t get them from school, she’s our clean anything up in any situation, she’s our mediator in the middle of Meltdowns, sibling fights, she’s Max’s ride or die for ANY of his crazy excursion requests. Shes Juliette’s Starbucks buddy manicure date, she’s also David’s master helper on gift giving (which is ALWAYS on point-it’s her superpower) and let’s not forget good boy Charlie! She’s EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE, but finds the time to put EVERYONE first no matter what! Even after working 12-14 hour work shifts she finds time to stop by if the kids reach out to her. She’s our families glue when Gorilla glue isn’t enough. If I didn’t know she and her mom are always a phone call away, I don’t know what I would do. When she finds out that I’ve posted this she will be embarrassed because she’s modest, and always portrays an image of everything will be ok, but when I went to her house on the morning after Hurricane Ian and the Tornadoes, I was in disbelief of the destruction the tornadoes caused to her home, cars and neighborhood and she’s in dire need of financial help. 

Amanda’s family is the center of her world. As many of you know, Amanda and her mother are inseparable! They live together. Amanda and her mom were trapped in the closet of a bedroom during the evening of September 27,2022… as tornado warnings sounded telling everyone to seek shelter the eve of Hurricane Ian. They heard and felt the home shaking but never thought they were in for the night and aftermath they endured. They were hit with 3 of 5 tornadoes that stormed through West Delray Beach, Florida that evening and into the next day. The first tornado hit their house at 9:20pm on the 27th of September and being in the path of the 3rd and 4th tornado at 1:15 and 3:30am respectively the morning of September 28th. 

 Amanda and her mom Maureen were able to get out of her home later that morning to see the devastation that occurred, never would they have imagined it. 

 Today, she’s still waiting on her homeowners insurance to come out and access the damages, that’s well over a month since this all happened and no adjuster has been to her home to witness just SOME of the following…. 

 ⁃ 40-55% roof damage (missing barrel tile and complete exposure) 

 ⁃ Flooding from the night of the tornadoes and days following with hurricane Ian’s passing 

 ⁃ A partial tarp being installed to 2 weeks later it failing to be secured properly and having a bedroom in her house flooded more than 4x since September 27th initial devastation

 ⁃ Sand bags and towels to help with the water flow that took over most of her bedroom

 ⁃ The loss of not one but both cars totaled/ written off by car insurance due to flood damage and high winds shattering every window and gashing the roofs so badly beyond repair, from mountings of the home falling and debris everywhere. 

 ⁃ She’s had to pay out of pocket for materials to temporarily protect what’s left of her roof. Her insurance ultimately decided her car as well as her mothers’ were a total losses

 - We lent her our car while she struggled to find a new car with the money she received from the insurance, but with the current car situation, prices, availability and high interest rates it was yet another stressful task.

 ⁃ Securing a 2nd company to tarp the home while she PATIENTLY waits for her HOI to show up to BEGIN AN EVALUATION

 ⁃ She’s written letters to her district’s commissioner Mary Sachs, no response, by mail or email.

 ⁃ She’s written emails and letter to the Property tax office as well as Governor DeSantis’s office by letter mail and email, to which both have responded to contact FEMA

 ⁃ Yesterday FEMA got back to her rejecting her application from 10/19, stating that, “because you have insurance you DO NOT qualify for ANY aid (complete nonsense) 

 She’s held it together more gracefully than anyone who know in her position would. After traveling across the country for a business trip she arrived home on a red eye only to find more water in her home from heavy rains the night before. 

 When Amanda arrived at my home last week with tears in her eyes I knew that something was added to her plate. She broke down and told me her job had just laid her off. This was her dream job in the fine luxury jewelry business. Traveling, getting to put her knowledge and passion for gems to use, meeting and connecting with new people, her favorite thing of all! Even with some recent health issues she continued to travel, work long hours when not traveling, and has been running around like her normal self to no end; to say she’s been through the ringer over the last 3 years is beyond an understatement. 

She’s prevailed from being furloughed and then laid-off during Covid. Closed on their house, days after finding out she was without a job. She worked 3-4 jobs during COVID to keep afloat….

 5 months ago she felt she had finally landed back on her feet and was playing catch-up for all the financial wows over the last 36 months.

 This devastating natural disaster has left her deflated, both financially and emotionally. Mold radar readings have confirmed that 3 rooms have extreme mold levels. Mold mediation needs to begin within the next week.

 To know Amanda is to love her, she’s there for everyone and ANYONE that crosses her path willing to help, lend an ear or hand whenever needed. It’s time for those that know her, love her and have been touched by Amanda near and far to understand the full scope of all she’s going through and help her now in her time of need. Whatever you can do I know she would be more than thankful for. 

 I’ve attached just some of the pictures to show the damage the tornados and hurricane caused. (Please keep in mind 80% of HOI in the state of Florida prior to this hurricane season had already began to leave the state. Most ppl even with full coverage will be faced with fighting for the next 3-4 years, yes years, to have their homes put back to normal and even so they might be faced with handling 50% or more due to lack of payouts with the states crisis in homeowners insurance)