I’m setting up this Go Fund Me page on behalf of my sister Yanique and brother-in-law Ronnie, who many of you know and love. Hurricane Melissa has devastated their community, and they are raising money to help rebuild their home and to establish a community fund specifically for roof repairs.

At noon on Tuesday after a night of hurricane force winds, Yanique said to Ronnie that she felt the roof might lift off and preferred to wait out the storm downstairs even though there was flooding on the lower level. They all went down—Ronnie, Yanique, my mom, and my niece—and began sweeping water into a storage tank beneath the living room floor.

My niece then shouted that she could see light upstairs and when Ronnie went up to see what happened, the roof had indeed lifted. They ran to a small bathroom downstairs and stayed there for 8 hours with Ronnie’s back against the door much of the time to keep the door from blowing in. From the small window in the bathroom, they could see roof parts falling.

My mom experienced Hurricane Beryl last year, and my sister experienced Hurricane Andrew back in the day. This was far more ferocious than either.

Our beloved Point of View Villa, that has hosted so many friends, family, writers, organizers, and sabbatical takers has been devastated by this hurricane. Many of you know that the cabana is a gift that anyone in their network can use free of charge to rest and recover from the U.S. grind.

Whatever you can give to support the restoration of Point of View is appreciated. This GoFundMe will also be used for home roof replacement throughout the neighborhood. Many of you have contributed in the past to the neighborhood school and community center. Thank you again for your support.