Johnson/Voyer Flood Assistance
On March 20th, our area experienced heavy rainfall and we were caught in a flash flood. The floodwater resulted in the collapse of our north basement wall, which compromised the house foundation such that we could not even enter the house much less live in it. The picture shows the missing part of the wall.
Everything in the basement was destroyed by the resulting 9’ of water including the HVAC, well pump, water heater, water softener, plumbing lines, electrical wiring, air ducts, etc. so even if we could move back in once the wall is rebuilt there is no running water and the house is still considered not entirely safe.
We have filed a flood insurance claim but repairs may take months and flood insurance has no coverage for living expenses. A local non-profit paid for one week in a traditional hotel which ended on March 27th. We (me, my daughter and granddaughters and their father) are moving to a extended stay type hotel on Friday as it is less expensive and gives us a kitchenette so that we can get hot meals without ordering takeout.
We then need to find short term housing in a situation where many businesses are closed for shelter in place due to Covid-19 and figure out how to pay for it while still managing the mortgage on the house. I asked for assistance from the mortgage company but they did not have an immediate or positive answer as my request is not related to Covid-19.
We asked the Red Cross for help but their resources have been very limited due to both Covid-19 and other families that experienced losses in the same flooding event in Central Ohio on March 20th. We do not anticipate any assistance from them or other agencies with so many people in bad situations right now.
Many of you have asked me how you could help but I didn’t have an answer when all this first unfolded. Living expenses are the biggest worry right now. We just don’t know how long it will be before we can go home.
i know everyone has problems of their own, especially in light of the shutdowns with the global pandemic, but if there is any small help that could be offered my family and I would be grateful.
