Buchbach Family Hurricane Disaster

Hello everyone, my name is John Buchbach and I live in Orlando Florida with my beautiful wife Kristen, and 2 year old son Johnnie. I am a very proud person so this is very difficult for me to write. I was diagnosed at age 7 with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and have been wheelchair dependent since the age of 15. I was a small business owner in Alexandria, Virginia until 2018 when I became sick and became ventilator dependent. I was medically retired from work and moved to Orlando, Florida to escape cold winters. I have since volunteered as a certified Life Coach to help individuals with disabilities and progressive illnesses. I also volunteer as a graphic designer for small businesses and our local church. On September 29th, as a result of Hurricane Ian and consequential downpour, severe flooding left our home, two vehicles, and belongings damaged under water. The rain overwhelmed our neighborhood drainage causing severe flooding back up into the house such that water levels were rising from the inside. The following morning, on Friday, September 30th, my family and I were evacuated via airboat from our home and taken to a medical disaster shelter. We were only able to bring my wheelchair and a few belongings, and have since been trying to rebuild our lives slowly. The storm damage was significant because of massive flooding resulting in an immediate destruction to a host of our hard to replace belongings. This includes important life-saving medical equipment and wheelchair-accessible furniture e.g. our adjustable beds, furniture like couches, rugs, clothes, linens, and Johnnie’s toys. We immediately notified our home insurance and filed emergency assistance claims with FEMA in hopes to jump start our process of rebuilding. Our insurance would not evaluate our home until the 13th of October which was two weeks from the hurricane arrival, and FEMA sent an adjuster to our home two days after our request. We were so relieved that FEMA came so fast, however the adjuster did not do a proper home inspection and when he submitted the claim we were only approved for $1130.65 on home damages. We immediately questioned the decision and two days later a “quality control” advisor came and did the proper home assessment. She was not able to appeal anything but noted that the initial assessment was not done appropriately. We hope to appeal the original claim however we cannot do it until our home insurance approves/ or denies us assistance. Meanwhile, the lower two feet of the walls have had the drywall removed to the studs. Toxic mildew and mold now remain on all the fabrics left behind and areas where water still lingers. Both cars had water damage, one of which we were able to fix at our expense because the deductible was $1000 and did not exceed the repair costs. Our other vehicle will need a new mechanical wheelchair lift and other significant repairs. At this time we cannot return home until repairs can start to take place, and the mildew can be treated. Today October 13th we finally had the home insurance adjuster visit and his first sentence was “do you have flood insurance?”. We do not have flood insurance because our home is not in a flood zone. The insurance denied the repairs because we don’t have flood insurance but the worst part is we have to wait 2-3 weeks for the written decision so we can attempt any appeal with them or FEMA. FEMA will not allow an appeal without the final report and decision of our home insurance. We are now stuck in the middle of insurance processes and still have no resolution or assistance with living expenses or repairs. We have been living in a hotel for the last two weeks. Luckily, Johnnie and one of our dogs are here with us, adjusting to hotel life but the other dog is at a dog kennel. I find it difficult to sleep in a comfortable position in the hotel bed so I have been forced to sleep in my wheelchair for support and comfort. Unfortunately, Kristen’s grandmother will likely require relocation to a long-term care facility until we can rebuild our home. Unfortunately, the timing of any claims and assistance is unknown and I must continue to pay my normal bills, personal care, medical expenses, and now emergency living expenses until we are able to get home and back to normal. If you are able to help, we would be grateful and if not, we completely understand. All donations will be directly deposited in our bank to help with living expenses and rebuilding our home. I am sorry in advance for asking for help but I’m just worried about not being able to pay everything now that we are in this predicament. God bless- John Buchbach.