Urgent Help for Gentry Family Flood Recovery

My name is Michelle. The Gentry Family are good friends of mine and have lost their home, workshops, vehicles, materials, tools, and more in what was the most extreme flooding to have ever hit their area from this recent hurricane. Helene didn't just destroy their home, it destroyed their entire town and beyond, entire roads in and out collapsed. Aid almost impossible and way too slow due to unjust red tape.

Their home is now full of mold and condemned. All of their belongings including all of their small businesses, which were located on their property, destroyed/washed away/buried under many feet of contaminated mud. Being disabled, they relied on these avenues of revenue for work that they were able to do. Now every bit of it is destroyed, and they are desperately (for many long sleepless weeks) to attempt to salvage the small bits of what's left, without a home to have refuge in, electricity and more issues, in a devastated area faced with dangeous looters who have already started going through their salvaged items.

FEMA has denied them help/lodging as their former property is now considered a flood zone/unsuitable for a structure such as a shed for them to begin to rebuild, and will not even donate any kind of trailer/RV for temporary lodging. They have been tirelessly fighting with insurance companies to remotely get the smallest of coverage resolved for lost vehicles, and their flood insurance will not kick-in to help them receive not even ALL of what their home was worth PRIOR to all the upgrades they made, for what could be a span of almost a year to several years from now. After they use all of that money to settle the mortgage, they will STILL unfairly owe a mortgage out of pocket. In a few months, their disaster deferment will end, and they'll somehow have to make mortgage payments on a home that doesn't exist, with no method of income.

They are exhausted and almost defeated, attempting to salvage what's left of their lives and businesses, alone, being met with unfair red tape and unjust reasons at every single turn, still digging through a destroyed city for anything tiny piece of their lives.

These two amazing people, were an important part of their local community, who counted on them for help with repairs to vehicles, homes and so much more. They were the beating heart of the town. Everyone knew them, they came to everyone's rescue, and now they need rescuing.

At their home near Asheville, they prepared for 2 days in advance for this rain and what the worst flooding predicted was. They moved all of their personal items, and work items, to higher ground. Knowing about the possibility of flooding into their basement, and the possibility of the water making its way up to their multiple on-site workshops, they stayed vigilant and took everything that they possibly could out of harms way, working themselves to exhaustion. Going by the data from past recorded, most severe storms and flooding, as well as predictions from their local area, they had sprung into action, protecting their belongings, ready for at worst, a couple of feet of water in their basement, and wet floors in their workshops. At first it looked like they were going to get through it, as they quickly worked, using buckets to empty water that slowly crept into their basement. Within just 2 hours, their house, vehicles, workshops and all of their belongings, were underneath a rapidly rising, raging river of water 10 ft higher than prepped for, as they were in shock and had to get themselves to safety. This was well beyond the worst and most legendary flooding the area has seen. Flooding of this nature causes sewage leaks, and in their case, destruction of their gas, which would have exploded from a fire happening had the electric not gone out.

Belongings of theirs washed many blocks away. A very old boat they dreamed of restoring someday (a huge important dream of theirs), gone. Never-mind their own photo albums and personal items that meant the world to them.

Sadly it doesn't end there. The hardware store in town which was family-owned and one day would be inherited/run by these two women, and where they also worked at times, was also destroyed with no insurance in place, as the cost was too high, and the chance of this happening was one in a million.

For now, they need to survive and rebuild.

They are seeking refuge at a friend's home 6hrs away and making regular frequent trips back and forth working to retrieve whatever they can, in hazmat suits, with no warm real beds to sleep in and running water during the hardship.

They will never receive a fraction of coverage for what they lost, and when they receive that fraction is unfairly, such a very long time from now.

I do want to mention that they are not the only 2 people in the home, they also have partners who live there as well, and this happened to a group of people, their family.

These are rare and wonderful human beings and we are better not only as community that they are here with us, but the world is a better place in general because of their presence.

They didn't lose "stuff" they lost everything they've ever worked for and had their entire lives and future wiped clean, and now have to somehow start over with nothing, in an expensive and uncertain world in a recession. Please if you can, send Aid to these people.

They cannot help their community as they always have, if they can't help themselves.

Thank you for your support. PLEASE SHARE THIS FUNDRAISER!