Jesse & Val Silva's Hurricane Relief Fund

Greetings friends, my name is Serene Silva and I am fundraising for my family in Fort Meyers, Florida. No doubt by now you've seen the news that on Wednesday, Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian touched down on mainland Florida devastating the community; destroying homes, businesses, and so much more the greater Fort Meyers community relies on for their daily living and safety.

Like so many affected by the storm, my brother Jesse, his dear wife Valerie, and their dogs Arlo and Citra, lost nearly everything when the eye of the storm tore through their neighborhood. The powerful winds and rain caused incalculable destruction on their own, but many in Fort Meyers were affected by another factor; the displacement of flood waters from the nearby Caloosahatchee River. The storm surge brought over 4 feet of water directly into the home of Valerie and Jesse, destroying most of their personal belongings and obliterating the structural integrity of the house's bones.

Upon initial assessment of their home's status, Valerie and Jesse report that their home's interior structure needs to be replaced: "All the sheetrock used to reinforce the home has to be stripped to the studs, removed, and replaced, before the mold can set in and further destroy the house. Every cabinet in the kitchen, interior door, and any feature of the house that was submerged needs to be removed, junked, and replaced. Sadly, every piece of furniture and artifact of their home that's been waterlogged and covered in mud is a total loss. They are going through the painful process of cleaning out the foot of mud left in their house and salvaging and cleaning any objects that have not been destroyed.

As my beloved brother, Jesse, described it to me, "When the full weight of the four feet of water dissipated, all (the items) floating in a mess, collected in the center of our home. Everything is destroyed...logged with water and covered in brackish water (mud)." Precious pictures of loved ones were lost, but so were the safe spaces where lively conversations around the dinner table took place, enriching the lives of many.

The hurricane's destruction and flood waters destroyed essential items outside their family home. The four-plus feet of brackish water submerged and wholly ruined their vehicles, including a classic automobile, Jesse's passion project choppers (built from the ground up), his work truck, and Val's daily driver.

The funds I am seeking to raise with this campaign are also partly to offset the long, tedious timeline in place by the insurance companies handling the vast number of claims created by this disaster. In many cases, it could be upwards of one year before Valerie and Jesse can replace or restore their lost property. With a comfortable allowance from this community campaign, Valerie and Jesse could begin rebuilding their home, safety, and lives faster and more efficiently than without our support.

Please consider donating to Valerie and Jesse's fund if you've ever been positively impacted by their love or joi de vivre. Or, if you have opened this call to action and do not necessarily know Valerie or Jesse, but you know me, consider donating on my behalf. As a team, Valerie and Jesse bring so much life to the spaces and community they live in. They are precious supporters of their family, friends, and community. With this campaign, we all have the opportunity to galvanize support and help get them along on their long road to recovery.