Celia's Fam Hurricane relief Plan

As many of you know, Hurricane Ian left a devastating mess in Florida's Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples areas. It brings me great sadness to ask for help, but the truth is that my family in Florida ( Pine Island) has lost EVERYTHING. I need your help in putting the pieces back together again. I'm asking all my fellow friends, family, and medical/nursing communities from all over the country to please help. Many of you have asked how you can help; here's how. Donate, please; every penny counts.

Let me tell you their story:

I don't know what your mom is like, but if she's anything like my mom, she's a beautiful, kind, loving, and hard-working human being. My mom came from EL Salvador as a teenager with literally nothing; this is now the 3rd time in her life that she goes back to having absolutely nothing. I want the narrative to change in her favor this time around. She's lived a hard life, often facing every challenge alone. Let's change that. My single mother of three has lost her home, not just her house but the very land it stood on. Think about that for a second; look around at your home and think about losing every little thing in it. She has nothing now, all of it completely washed away. The small island connecting to the mainland is practically erased from the map. she was able to evaluate in time; however, the hotel she stayed at suffered significant damage while the hurricane passed through. The windows in her hotel room exploded from the winds creating a mini tornado in her room, and the little she brought with her was damaged. When I say she is starting all over again with nothing, I mean NOTHING. They slept in the hallway that night... Once the storm passed, she was evacuated to a shelter. She was given a 6x6 assigned corner of a gym, one sleeping mattress for the three of them(mom, brother, and sister), and some snacks as she was down to half a loaf of bread and peanut butter to feed a family of three for several days. She made do with what she was working with, using the last of her savings to feed the kids, stock up on gas, pay the ridiculous prices for a hotel, and prepare for the next wave of stress as much as possible. During curfew hours, they attempted to make their way to the bridge where the island connects; the roads were what I could only describe as total devastation. When they arrived, they were turned around by the police, who informed them they had no contact with the island, search and rescue were en route, and there was no way of knowing what was left of the island. You can only imagine the pain and shock that must have been. She decided to go back to the shelter that night and form a plan. They slept in the shelter that night; curfew was strictly enforced at 6 pm, with constant police patrol inside and outside the gym. In the meantime, I contacted family/friends in other parts of the state and country for help. We were lucky enough to get some support for the short term. While the kids slept, she stayed awake the whole time for the second night in a row to watch over them in a public place; she woke them up at 5 am and began the line to exit the shelter; the roads again were a mess, national guard, police, terrified people everywhere. On the way to their next temporary shelter, she ran out of gas, and no gas stations available with gas either. Luckily my uncle came to the rescue with snacks and coffee. Boy, let me tell you, that cup of coffee felt like heaven, as she describes it. The series of unfortunate events was not over though.. one mile from where they stopped to meet my uncle, one of her TIRES POPPED; luckily, she did not get into an accident by some miracle because she was on a highway!

My mother and the kids are safe at a family member's home on the other side of the state now; they've just had their first hot meal since Sunday, their first shower since Tuesday, and will probably sleep soundly for the first time since this whole thing started 6 days ago. They are safe. That's all that matters now, but they need to rebuild their lives, and that starts with moving all the way to Washington State, where I am!

Like I said, she and the kids are starting from nothing; they'll need clothes, food, shelter, furniture, electronics such as a laptop for school, etc. Instead of asking for individual items to donate, I would appropriate money donations so they can regain some control of their lives and pick the things they choose to replace all they have lost. The relocation cost and the replacement of the essential things lost alone will cost over 10k but I'm asking for literally anything you can give us to start getting her across the country.

For those of you who truly know me, I don't ask for help. Whether it's a tough IV start, a psych patient who I need to take down, a heavy object I need to move, or grabbing something out of my reach( go ahead, you can laugh now, yes we all know I'm 5 feet with 8 feet of personality) or something as simple as solving a math problem- I don't ask for help; I handle it myself.. so please I am asking for your help.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.