On December 2nd at around 1:30 AM, we woke to the sound of our ceiling collapsing. A massive tree fell straight through our home destroying our kitchen, breaking the living room skylight, and even puncturing the ceiling in our baby’s room, leaving insulation all over her bed. Insulation dust got everywhere in our dining area and entry living room.

By God’s grace, all five of us are safe but our house isn’t.

Our landlords have been wonderful and are doing everything they can to fix the home quickly. They moved us into a temporary unit the same day so we would have a safe place to sleep. We are incredibly grateful for how fast they responded and how much they have helped.

But even with good landlords and insurance involved, we are still facing a lot of unexpected costs and losses.

Renters insurance will help with some things like reimbursing items affected by debris or insulation, and covering certain living expenses while we’re displaced. But there are still many things that renters insurance may not fully cover, especially with three children and Christmas right around the corner.

We may have to replace:

• Baby bedding, mattress, toys, and clothes touched by insulation

• Towels, blankets, and soft items contaminated by dust or debris

• Clothing and essentials that cannot be salvaged

• Kitchen items that were damaged or exposed

• Basic home supplies we’ve had to repurchase while displaced

And there are ongoing expenses from being forced out of our home unexpectedly: food, gas, laundry, baby needs, and trying to keep daily life normal for our children while we work through insurance and repairs.

We are doing everything the right way.

We are working with both insurances.

We are following every step.

We are hopeful for reimbursement.

But in case insurance does not cover everything, and because this happened right before the holidays, we wanted to create this GoFundMe as a way for our village to help us fill in the gaps as we rebuild.

Anything helps. Truly.

Whether it’s a donation, a prayer, or sharing this link, we are grateful for every bit of kindness we’ve been shown. Thank you for helping our family get through this overwhelming time and for helping us give our kids a sense of stability again.

With love,

Natalia & Family