My wife Luisa and I live in a basement apartment in Queens, NY. Hurricane Ida hit us extremely hard. The storm flooded our space completely; water pouring through the windows and doors like a showerhead. Our space was annihilated by filthy sewage water, 6” high. The water went from the back door to the bathroom, inside the closet, my studio space, and literally, every inch of our home. Every painting I ever made was submerged and damaged. Our electronics were submerged and electrical circuits blew. Hours later the Fire Department came but couldn't do much because there was not currently a fire at that time. We had to cut power for our fish (we have many tanks; they are Emotional Support Animals). Our books, our clothing, our dressers, and bed- nice Purple Mattress- everything... Gone. We removed the filthy water one bucket at a time, and slept at 1:00 am on our soaked bed. We have to move because we discovered this apartment is uninhabitable; it has flooded before but never anything like this. We cannot replace many of the items that were destroyed and damaged. We also do not have Renters Insurance. I feel embarrassed and ashamed to say this, but between COVID-19 and hurricane Ida, we need help. Please feel welcome to contribute to help my wife Luisa and I rebuild our lives. Anything helps. Many thanks and much love. -Ryan

PS: Funds will be used to buy new furniture, clean anything that can be salvaged, clean our clothes and, most importantly, to move to a safer apartment ASAP. My art may also need to be treated for water damage.