
Help Miranda Rebuild After Hurricane Helene
Donation protected
Hi All,
My name is Jesse Reim from Asheville, North Carolina. I work for the French Broad Food Cooperative, and I'm trying to help a long-time friend and co-worker rebuild her life from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. I've worked with Miranda in Asheville for almost 18 years, and she is a dear friend of mine. All money donated will go to building a new house on Miranda's property.
Please help her. Her house was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene, and she needs to completely rebuild. For now, she is living between her art studio and her neighbor’s house.
The following details are straight from Miranda:
21 years ago, I purchased a tiny A-frame house nestled in a forest of rhododendron and oak on a hillside next to a stream. It wasn’t fancy and needed some love, but I made it mine. I installed (myself by hand) solid oak and ceramic tile floors, built custom furniture, and painted a mural of the sky on the expansive ceiling. I planted a garden full of shade-loving plants. I later screened in the balcony for my cats and myself to enjoy. It was my home, and I loved it.
On September 27th, my world was turned on end. The heavy rains caused a landslide that cut across the foundation of my house. About 10 trees next to the house, including my favorite large oak by the balcony, all toppled over in a heap, leaving a scarred landscape. The entire house shifted a few inches, and the ground dropped away from part of the basement. The house now has a gap between the house and the slab foundation it should be resting on. On the opposite corner, where the landslide occurred, the house has dropped some, and one of the 4 piers that hold up the lower half of the house is hanging free, not touching the ground. The partial basement has cracks running across it, and part of it appears to want to break away.
It took a while for the severity of the damage to sink in. The house is no longer safe to occupy, so I have carefully moved about half of my belongings to my art studio temporarily. After consulting multiple contractors and an engineer, it became clear that the inaccessibility of the beautiful location would make repairing it extremely difficult, and the resulting repairs would likely cost more than the house is worth. The repaired house also would still be susceptible to future problems, and I don’t know if I could ever trust its safety.
So, I have made the difficult decision to let go of my beloved home and rebuild in a more stable location on my property. After consulting a local house builder, I learned that the best place to build would be where my flower garden is, next to my studio. So, I will also have to sacrifice half of my beloved garden. I do not yet know what the total cost of everything will be. It is very difficult and slow getting estimates right now, but a new house of similar size could likely cost $120,000 or more. I do plan to do much of the interior finishing myself to bring costs down. I will also have to pay for the demolition of the old house, repair the retaining wall (also damaged in the storm) next to the studio, and replace much of my furniture and appliances.
Please help if you can. I am getting nothing from insurance, as my policy does not cover landslides, and I have only gotten a small amount of aid from FEMA so far. I will have to borrow money to cover most of the cost.
Organizer and beneficiary

Jesse Reim
Organizer
Asheville, NC
Miranda Seals
Beneficiary