Hurricane Ian Relief Fund - please help Dawn

Update (see below for Dawn's story): Dawn, her husband, her mom, her son, 2 dogs, and 3 cats were able to find temporary housing though the family of a fellow church member. They are all grateful they have found somewhere to stay as a family and have a pillow to lay their heads on. They are only able to stay there for another 2 1/2 weeks because the owners are seasonal and will be returning then. Dawn and her family are unsure of where they will go next. They have been on the phone nonstop talking to insurance agents, adjusters, and still have a long way to go.

Thank you to all of you who have donated and reached out.

Original post: Dear friends, I have started this page along with our staff at AngelAnimal Hospital to help one of our beloved surgical technicians, Dawn.

Dawn lived in Island Park Village in South Fort Myers with her husband, son, mother (whom she cared for), three cats, and two dogs. Hurricane Ian hit just after 3 PM on Wednesday as a category 4 with winds of 150mph (category 5 is 157mph). Thousands in this area had prepared for the storm by getting supplies, but before Tuesday, the storm was expected to hit Tampa; thus, evacuation orders were not in play. By Tuesday, the cone had shifted, and although evacuation orders had now been given, this left thousands with approximately 24 hours to evacuate.

 

Around 2 AM, Dawn got a message out to our team that she, her husband, mom, son, three cats, and two dogs were all trapped in the attic, trying to escape the rising waters. They were trapped for hours, watching the water rise. Their home and cars were destroyed, along with all of their possessions.

Many of us reached out, but no one could get in touch with her again until the following day. One of our technicians spoke with Dawn Thursday morning and informed the rest of the Angel crew that they were alive and in a shelter.

 

For days there was no communication, then spotty communication as power and cell service was slowly being restored. The following message we received was at 4 am on Sunday:

“I have been at South Fort Myers High School shelter with my family since Wednesday morning. We have been fed, watered, and are sleeping on the floors with nothing but the clothes on our backs we arrived in. The volunteers here have been superb, and we really can't say enough. Tomorrow there are supposed to be portable showers arriving! We have no running water. I was never so happy to see the port-a-potties arrive the day before yesterday!

But we are all alive and well. I am so sore (very minimal in the scheme of things) from digging my way out of our home that I can barely move. We feel super fortunate to be alive. I have never been so terrified as I thought we were going to drown. So many people here are in the same situation. As far as I can tell we have a total loss. All 3 of our cars were under the surge and won't run, I have windows that either fell out or broke. I haven't been back to my home since our rescue and was able to scan around a moment as we were escaping. I know I am not alone in my situation here. This truly is overwhelming. I am hoping that since FEMA and the Red Cross arrived yesterday, we can start to feel a bit of normalcy.”

Dawn and her family remain in this shelter, where they must stay until they meet with FEMA. The Angel crew has pulled together to help with food and clothes, but Dawn and her family have lost their home, cars, and possessions. Dawn was already the sole provider for her family (her husband is unable to work due to a work-related injury resulting in disability), and their future is unknown at this moment.

Some heroes win the day by taking out the bad guy; others show up in times of crisis. For Dawn and her family, the role of hero is now tasked to each of us that know and love her, and we do. So we are asking our community to please help Angel in getting Dawn, and her family get back on their feet. Even if you can give $5, the gesture alone would go an extraordinarily long way in helping Dawn’s family heal.

Some things are too great to bear alone. Let’s show Dawn she doesn’t have to.

Funds raised here will help her family with basic human needs (food, clothes, housing, bills, etc).

Thank you all for your love and kindness.