Help The Schermerhorn's Rebuild After Tropical Storm Debby

My best friend, Tara, and her family have been directly impacted by Tropical Storm Debbie in Sarasota, Florida. The storm began on Sunday, August 4th. It rained through the night and brought strong winds. They woke up to the lake behind their house rising and the streets of their neighborhood beginning to flood.

Her husband, Jeff, spent most of Sunday driving neighbors out of their neighborhood and bringing them to safety. He was only able to do this because he used his military Humvee that has a snorkel. No normal vehicles could drive in or out. Everyone was stranded in their homes.

Once he had helped as many people as he could, he brought his family and dog to safety. He drove back in and stayed to continue into the night to help even more neighbors get out safely and also started moving items off the ground trying to protect whatever he could from the rising water. Not to mention, the power in the neighborhood went out at 5pm that day so this was all being done in the dark with a flashlight.

He called Tara at 2AM to tell her that the water had officially entered the house. The unthinkable had just happened. They sat in silence on the phone. The water continued to rise and did not stop till almost 48 hours later.

He brought Tara by Humvee the following day to see the damage as the water continued to rise. She was in complete shock and disbelief. The entire neighborhood was submerged. You could barely even see the tops of the mailboxes. It was total devastation.

This house was their dream home. They had only bought it 1 year ago and had completely remodeled the entire thing because it had been a foreclosure for 7 years. In a matter of hours, the blood, sweat, tears, and savings they had poured into the home was gone.

Unfortunately, Jeff and Tara do not have flood insurance. Their home is not in a flood zone and is 30+ feet above sea level so it was never required or suggested. The money from this campaign will go directly to Jeff, Tara, and the kids to help start rebuilding their family home. They will need to mitigate any mold, cut and replace all the drywall, purchase new appliances, and many other expenses along the way.

Jeff and Tara know they have a long road ahead of them. Any amount will help make it a little easier for the struggle ahead.