Help Karen & Colleen Recover & Rebuild

Hi everyone. This is Patrick. My mom (Karen O'Brien) and sister (Colleen Chamberlain) bought a home in Utica a little over a year ago, moving here from Binghamton to be closer to my family and me. Having them here has been so wonderful for us, especially as my kids have been able to grow so much closer to them and spend so much more time with them.

On March 22, at around 5:30 AM, mom and Colleen awoke to a neighbor pounding on their door, telling them their porch was on fire and that they needed to get out. Despite their shock and disorientation, they managed to get themselves and Colleen's dog, Motoko, safely out of the house. They're all safe. Thank goodness.

The house, though, is not. The front porch is a total loss, and the entire downstairs of the home suffered considerable damage from smoke, soot, and other debris. Unfortunately, we do not yet know the full extent of the damage regarding what portions of the home and what items of their personal property may be salvageable. That will take quite a while to figure out.

For the time being, though, they cannot live at home. The process of mitigating the damage, repairing what needs to be repaired, and replacing their personal effects will likely take months. The space won't be liveable again for quite some time. With us unfortunately not having enough space to comfortably house them (we're more than willing but above all else, want to make sure they're comfortable!), they're staying in a hotel for now while we try to find them a longer-term living arrangement that will suit their needs until their house is again ready to be lived in.

They will receive an amount through their homeowners' insurance to cover their living expenses - to a point - while they are displaced from their home, but that's not a perfect solution for two reasons. First, the costs must be paid upfront with reimbursement requested after the fact, so funds are needed to help cover immediate expenses. And second, it seems clear (after preliminarily pricing out some options) that their costs of living for the period they'll need to cover will exceed the amount the insurance carrier will provide for, even if the carrier acts in good faith.

So at this point, we're looking for some help to address the living expenses that my mom, sister, and Motoko will need for the time being. Hotels, possible rent if we can find a longer-term option, and food costs while displaced will add up immediately and quickly, and not everything will end up reimbursed. Please consider helping them bridge this financial gap as they navigate this scary and unknown situation.

We're thankful for the quick thinking, warning, and assistance of neighbors who went out of their way to help this morning. Were it not for the fate of a neighbor walking his dog early in the morning and quickly intervening, this story might have ended very differently. We're also very thankful for the quick, effective, and professional work of the Utica Fire Department.

Thankfully, things can be replaced. We're so fortunate that mom, Colleen, and Motoko are safe.

The Utica Fire Department was unable to determine the exact cause of the fire. You can find the WKTV coverage of the fire here: https://www.wktv.com/news/local/porch-fire-spreads-to-first-floor-of-utica-home/article_1186d32a-a9eb-11ec-881a-4bd981d52428.html