Donate to Help the Hartys and the Gentiles

On Wednesday, September 28th, Hurricane Ian made landfall. By the end of the week, the devastation from Ian would be nearly unprecedented, following Hurricane Katrina as one of the most expensive natural disasters in American history (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/climate/florida-real-estate-hurricane-ian.html).

Our parents, Shirley and Peter Harty, moved into the small community of Old Bridge Village in North Fort Myers about 18 months ago. They moved to be closer to Shirley's sister Bobbi and her husband, Steve Gentile, who have lived there for seven years. They bought a manufactured home, but due to the increase in dangerous weather events and lack of available insurance plans, neither couple could secure insurance in the event of a hurricane. While they were all physically safe during Ian, they returned home to the near-total loss of their homes and the ruination of their retirement plans.

In the aftermath, temporary housing in Fort Myer is expensive and almost impossible to secure. FEMA is difficult to navigate and inundated with requests from others in similar situations. Despite the uninhabitable state of their homes, they are still responsible for cleaning up and hauling the debris and, in the case of Bobbi and Steve, for paying community fees until they bring their house up to code or sell. Rebuilding is likely too costly for both couples, who are now searching for temporary to permanent housing in more inland parts of the state.

Shirley and Peter are known for their generosity. They have supported both of us through medical emergencies and personal crises and are affectionally known as second parents by many of our friends. Likewise, Bobbi and Steve are devoted friends, parents, and grandparents. They have been deeply involved in their now-decimated community for over seven years, with Steve even serving as a Board Member. In July 2022, Peter underwent an emergency quadruple bypass and is still in recovery, making this process all the more challenging.

We ask for any financial support you can provide to help them weather this devastating and emotional time. Any funds contributed will help them pay temporary rent, allow them to replace essentials, like food, cleaning products, etc., and purchase the items they can replace, like furniture, clothing, electronics, and tools. The funds will be evenly split between the Hartys and the Gentiles, per their request.