Help Keep Karen and Bob Safe and Sheltered

I am making this on behalf of my mom and stepdad, Karen and Bob Martin. Hurricane Helene has left them with nothing but their pets and one car. Although they don’t want to and would never ask, assistance is needed for them to get food and keep a roof over their heads, and I am desperate to get it for them.

Karen and Bob are from Kentucky and dreamed of living on the beach. After many years, only a few months ago they moved into a house on Madeira Beach.

They began hurricane preparations on Tuesday, but there was nothing they could have done to prevent their home from flooding. At 12pm on Thursday there was no sign of water, by 3pm the storm surge was 3 feet tall in the streets, by 4pm water began to leak into their home, and by 7pm their home was flooded with waist deep water. Karen and Bob, along with their pets, were stuck in their home until 7am the next morning when the surge went down enough for them to leave.

They parked their cars at the most elevated parking lot near by and checked them first. While Karen’s SUV took on a little water but no damage, Bob’s car got completely flooded and swept into a tree. When they came back to the home once the sun was up, they saw the true damage the water had done: furniture upside down, a whole pantry of food ruined, and water damage to everything in the home. The car and all of their belongings will be a total loss.

They managed to find a hotel with power and get themselves and the pets a room for the next couple of days but don’t have any where to go after that. As an underpaid school teacher and an accountant, funding for a roof over their heads, vehicle, and food is a concern. They don't know where to go from here and won't be able to afford a hotel forever, along with having to either furnish a new home or fix damages and refurnish their current home. Any amount helps in this situation, as they were never expecting this.