UPDATE: May 13 - Hard to believe it has been 30 days of nonstop craziness! First and foremost I want to thank you all so very very much for your kindness and generosity! I am extremely touched by everyone reaching out to check on me and helping me. It means more to me than I can put into words. I am very grateful and so thankful for you all! I apologize it took me so long to figure out how to work this social media site to thank you and post an update for you. I have also been very overwhelmed and beside myself with all I have been going through since the storm Wed April 12. The last month has been a constant up hill roller coaster for me every day.

I got to admit I was ready to move back home to the Midwest. I have never been through anything like this before and I cannot even imagine what a hurricane would be like. My heart goes out to all that have been through any disasters.

The insurance company totaled out my car due to the overwhelming amount of water inside it. It was almost up to the roof of my little 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. She was a very good car. The first I ever bought brand new on my own with only 3 miles from my test drive. I was sad to lose her. As you can see in the pic I uploaded, that is my landlords work truck in front of our house. I rented the back apartment in the house. There was 3-5” of nasty brown water inside my apartment. The tubs backed and filled with brown water. The toilets would not flush and the AC and power were shut off due to being halfway submerged in water outside. I lost all my nice wood furniture (again the first I had ever bought, after my house fire in 2007 and losing everything). It is heartbreaking to start over. I can only be grateful they did not have to remove me from the house by boat through a window like I seen in other neighborhoods.

I have been crying a lot the last 4 weeks and beside myself with so much to do.. my insurance company told me though I had renters insurance (that is required) I do not have flood insurance (unaware there was a difference) so my belongings were not covered. My ins apparently only covers a water pipe in the wall breaking not water coming in. After several phone calls, long waits up to 3hrs and disconnects etc I got nowhere with the insurance. My landlord gave me a shop vac that didn’t work and fans so I could try to clean out and salvage things. A coworker bought a better shop vac and they came over one day to help some. The landlord and his insurance explained to me the whole place needed gutted and about the mold and I needed to be out. I worked hard on trying to find a new place asap, trying to get a new vehicle etc etc. It’s been a lot to deal with all on my own. It’s times like this I really hate being single more than I normally do. I hate admitting that all this really sent me into a downward spiral of depression.

I am very blessed though to have family, friends, and colleagues. I try to remind myself of this when I get sad. My Director of Nursing I report to opened her home to me and I stayed with her for awhile. I also stayed with a friend in Orlando who helped me with my 2 new dogs I got right before the storm (because I lost my 15yo and 16yo schnauzers last year and had been struggling with their loss and being all alone). Driving to work 4hrs from Orlando was not easy and racked up the miles on the rental car so then my awesome mentor who’s always been an angel to me since I was in Neurodiagnostic school got me some nights in a hotel because I was going to sleep at work or in the rental car.

Thankfully this past week has been the first time I feel like I can take a breathe. I got the new apartment and a vehicle. I’m sitting in a lawn chair at the moment lol because I don’t have it in me yet to look for furniture. I just need a minute from the constant high anxiety level of not having a home or car. The docs and the team at work have been great with helping me hold down the fort while trying to get my life together and under control again. My brother came over and helped me too with the salvaging and o yeah trying to find my car after ins had it towed and didn’t know where it was. That was a nightmare in its self for 3 days, the ins nor I could find it. No idea! I can say it definitely helps to have family in law enforcement for things like that.

Please know how much I appreciate your donations! This meant the world to me! I thank you with all my heart!

Sara Batson. One of the sweetest most caring END techs I know, lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Recently the east coast of southern Florida was hit by catastrophic flooding secondary to torrential rains.

Sara lost her car, most of her furniture and her housing.

There is a housing crisis secondary to the flood.

Join me in supporting one of our own at this time. Thank you all in advance for joining me in the campaign to help Sara.