Shawn's Flood Relief Fund
Donation protected
I am Michelle Lherisse-Smith, Information Solutions Delivery Manager. As many of you may know; Shawn Edwards, who reports to me and is the team leader responsible for Provider Management, was impacted by the recent flooding that occurred in Louisiana. What you may not know is that Shawn accepted the position several months ago leaving his family in Louisiana since his son had one year remaining in high school. We are raising money to assist Shawn and his wife with this unexpected natural disaster. This money will help him with his home repairs that will not be covered by the flood insurance, clothing expenses, lodging expenses and any other expense he may be faced with. Please see more details regarding his story.
His family is safe and reunited. They are currently staying with a VERY GENEROUS friend while they figure out what to do next. Their house had 5 feet of water inside for over 24 hours. While not as bad as they expected, it means that they are able to salvage very little (a few items from the tops of closets, and some things that are resistant to water damage). At this point, they have recovered some items, and gotten all the furniture out of the house (Mostly in pieces as even the best wooden furniture disintegrates after being in water for 24 hours). Last week they spent time getting all the debris and remaining "junk" out of the house and started tearing out sheet rock and floors. They have to get down to the studs throughout the house not only because the sheet rock is water damaged, but also for mold remediation.
A lot of infrastructure was also damaged, so they have spotty cell service and questionable Internet access. Because so many people lost so much, the stores are often out of "whatever you need". The staffing of retail and services is also strongly impacted, and so a lot of places (if open) will only let a few people in at a time and have long lines of people waiting to get into the store. Fortunately, they have people coming in from all over the state and the nation to help out with supplies and food and water and muscle.
They are much better off than many of their friends as they did have flood insurance. That being said, with the extent of damage to the area; they have no idea when they will get anything from it, or when they will be able to schedule even the simplest repairs. As the adjusters make their way around, they are finding out EXACTLY what flood insurance does NOT cover.
This is being called a "millennial flood", and is the worst that area has seen in recorded history. In South Louisiana, everyone is aware of flood zones, and take them very seriously. They have many friends who had no flood insurance. Over 90% of the homes and businesses in their town got water damage, and over 75% of the homes and businesses in their parish. Just south of there parish, the water is still rising and they are anticipating even higher impact there.
His family is safe and reunited. They are currently staying with a VERY GENEROUS friend while they figure out what to do next. Their house had 5 feet of water inside for over 24 hours. While not as bad as they expected, it means that they are able to salvage very little (a few items from the tops of closets, and some things that are resistant to water damage). At this point, they have recovered some items, and gotten all the furniture out of the house (Mostly in pieces as even the best wooden furniture disintegrates after being in water for 24 hours). Last week they spent time getting all the debris and remaining "junk" out of the house and started tearing out sheet rock and floors. They have to get down to the studs throughout the house not only because the sheet rock is water damaged, but also for mold remediation.
A lot of infrastructure was also damaged, so they have spotty cell service and questionable Internet access. Because so many people lost so much, the stores are often out of "whatever you need". The staffing of retail and services is also strongly impacted, and so a lot of places (if open) will only let a few people in at a time and have long lines of people waiting to get into the store. Fortunately, they have people coming in from all over the state and the nation to help out with supplies and food and water and muscle.
They are much better off than many of their friends as they did have flood insurance. That being said, with the extent of damage to the area; they have no idea when they will get anything from it, or when they will be able to schedule even the simplest repairs. As the adjusters make their way around, they are finding out EXACTLY what flood insurance does NOT cover.
This is being called a "millennial flood", and is the worst that area has seen in recorded history. In South Louisiana, everyone is aware of flood zones, and take them very seriously. They have many friends who had no flood insurance. Over 90% of the homes and businesses in their town got water damage, and over 75% of the homes and businesses in their parish. Just south of there parish, the water is still rising and they are anticipating even higher impact there.
Organizer and beneficiary
Michelle Lherisse-Smith
Organizer
Durham, NC
William Edwards
Beneficiary
