Help Rebuild the McHattie Family Home

Hello everyone,

We're the McHattie kids, Billy, Ian, and Melissa. We are organizing this GoFundMe on behalf of our parents, Bill and Cindy, who have been displaced from their home, separated from their dog Lulu, and burdened with the financial and emotional task of restoring their home.

On March 23rd 2024, during the four days of rain in South Jersey, our parents' basement wall collapsed, flooding the basement with nearly three feet of water, destroying decades of memories, and rendering the house uninhabitable due to a significant portion of the foundation being gone.

Our parents looked to their insurance for assistance. After being initially denied any support, they sought the help of an adjuster to appeal the decision. The investigation determined that a build-up of hydrostatic pressure from the rainfall caused the rear foundation wall of the home to collapse, and therefore their homeowner's insurance would not cover any portion of the repairs. The insurance company deemed it a flood issue. However, not being on a flood plane and with no history of dramatic water damage, our parents reasonably never sought flood insurance.

"Flood" seems insufficient to describe the damage. The pressure from the water literally broke the entire rear wall down, sending their appliances across the basement. It was amazing that only a half hour before hand, our mom was in the basement doing laundry.

Work like this cannot wait. Our parents have already dug deep into their savings, retirement funds and day to day expenses to begin what will be months of work to repair their home. These unexpected expenses will lead to an indefinite delay of retirement for both our parents and dramatically impact their day to day lives as they recover from this event.

The funds we raise here will go towards the rebuilding of the basement wall, strengthening the remaining walls (which also have foundational damage), licensed professionals for excavation, masonry, and any other services related to once again deeming the house habitable. Some will be used to reimburse the substantial costs our parents have already incurred.

We're grateful for the support of dozens of friends and family who have spent the last three weekends donating their time and physical labor to help our parents clear out the basement and ready it for the professionals. We're equally grateful for any additional support from you; every little bit helps.

Thank you,

The McHatties