- M
- I
- L
A local family faces disaster:
Last week, on the evening of May 30th, during a torrential downpour, a catastrophe occurred at the home of Felicia Lebow and her sister Michelle Winter. The two sisters live together in a small house in SEA CLIFF to save expenses and help each other raise their children. Felicia is a single mother (by choice) of three boys: 10-year-old and 18-month-old twins. Michelle is a single mother by divorce of a 17-year-old girl.
Recently Felicia and Michelle have been faced with their mother’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s. Their mother is no longer able to live on her own in her apartment, so while they try to figure out an alternative living situation for her, she has been staying with them at their home in Sea Cliff. She is in need of a medical facility and they are currently waiting out the approval of Medicaid so that she may be able to go live somewhere where she is safe and taken care of. It has been an enormously stressful and sad time for their family.
And then… Last Thursday, a torrential rain storm ripped through their area. Felicia‘s oldest son heard a crash. When they looked out the window, they noticed the retaining wall that stands approximately 5 feet from their front door was now approximately 5 inches from their front door. After further investigation, they discovered that their driveway had caved in and the retaining wall had collapsed.
The family called 911 and was evacuated immediately. Fire trucks from Sea Cliff, Manhasset, and Port Washington rushed to the scene. They were able to evacuate all seven family members from the home, including Felicia and Michelle‘s mother who had to be removed via stretcher. They are in awe of the amazing bravery of these firemen who carried out Felicia’s babies while she threw together a bag of essentials. The older children were told to throw together a bag of only what they needed and to get out immediately.
The fire trucks proceeded to tow their cars off of the driveway since they were teetering on the edge of collapse and were in danger of smashing into the house. After several hours, the cars were free and all seven members of the family were able to seek shelter at their mother’s empty apartment which had not been lived in for six months.
They were told by the fire company to not return to their house until it was deemed safe. The very next morning, Felicia contacted her homeowners insurance, ALLSTATE, and filed a claim, expecting that her homeowners insurance would protect and cover this damage, as neither Michelle nor Felicia have any funds to repair the home.
EIGHT DAYS after they were evacuated from their home, ALLSTATE finally sent out an adjuster. They were denied on the spot. ALLSTATE rejected the claim and closed the case. The initial realization of this catastrophe quickly turned to devastation. After more than a week of being displaced, trying to care for their mother and their children, they were now facing a repair to the home or they would not be able to return. The family at this moment remains at their mother’s apartment, but as soon as she is accepted into assisted-living they will lose that apartment and have nowhere to live.
While Felicia‘s babies obviously do not know what’s going on, the older children have been incredibly traumatized and stressed by this situation. Felicia and Michelle have been trying to keep their lives normal and trying to make sure they are taken to school every morning from five towns over, trying to ensure they do not miss activities and most importantly trying to keep them distracted. But, they are very aware of what’s going on and their anxiety level is high.
As mentioned earlier, the family does not have funds to pay for the repair. The estimated cost to repair the retaining wall, the driveway, the stairs and the railing, all of which must be replaced in order for them to return to their home is estimated at $40,000.
These two sisters dedicate their time to taking care of their children and keeping them safe. Right now they are facing something they definitely never expected, the possibility of homelessness and complete devastation. We are hoping that this caring community can rally around this family and help them during this traumatic time. Any donation is appreciated and will help this family return to their home.
It is a very scary and precarious time for the Lebow family. I am hoping we can take some of this pressure off of them, pull together, and help them recover.
Thank you very much for your support and generosity.
Last week, on the evening of May 30th, during a torrential downpour, a catastrophe occurred at the home of Felicia Lebow and her sister Michelle Winter. The two sisters live together in a small house in SEA CLIFF to save expenses and help each other raise their children. Felicia is a single mother (by choice) of three boys: 10-year-old and 18-month-old twins. Michelle is a single mother by divorce of a 17-year-old girl.
Recently Felicia and Michelle have been faced with their mother’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s. Their mother is no longer able to live on her own in her apartment, so while they try to figure out an alternative living situation for her, she has been staying with them at their home in Sea Cliff. She is in need of a medical facility and they are currently waiting out the approval of Medicaid so that she may be able to go live somewhere where she is safe and taken care of. It has been an enormously stressful and sad time for their family.
And then… Last Thursday, a torrential rain storm ripped through their area. Felicia‘s oldest son heard a crash. When they looked out the window, they noticed the retaining wall that stands approximately 5 feet from their front door was now approximately 5 inches from their front door. After further investigation, they discovered that their driveway had caved in and the retaining wall had collapsed.
The family called 911 and was evacuated immediately. Fire trucks from Sea Cliff, Manhasset, and Port Washington rushed to the scene. They were able to evacuate all seven family members from the home, including Felicia and Michelle‘s mother who had to be removed via stretcher. They are in awe of the amazing bravery of these firemen who carried out Felicia’s babies while she threw together a bag of essentials. The older children were told to throw together a bag of only what they needed and to get out immediately.
The fire trucks proceeded to tow their cars off of the driveway since they were teetering on the edge of collapse and were in danger of smashing into the house. After several hours, the cars were free and all seven members of the family were able to seek shelter at their mother’s empty apartment which had not been lived in for six months.
They were told by the fire company to not return to their house until it was deemed safe. The very next morning, Felicia contacted her homeowners insurance, ALLSTATE, and filed a claim, expecting that her homeowners insurance would protect and cover this damage, as neither Michelle nor Felicia have any funds to repair the home.
EIGHT DAYS after they were evacuated from their home, ALLSTATE finally sent out an adjuster. They were denied on the spot. ALLSTATE rejected the claim and closed the case. The initial realization of this catastrophe quickly turned to devastation. After more than a week of being displaced, trying to care for their mother and their children, they were now facing a repair to the home or they would not be able to return. The family at this moment remains at their mother’s apartment, but as soon as she is accepted into assisted-living they will lose that apartment and have nowhere to live.
While Felicia‘s babies obviously do not know what’s going on, the older children have been incredibly traumatized and stressed by this situation. Felicia and Michelle have been trying to keep their lives normal and trying to make sure they are taken to school every morning from five towns over, trying to ensure they do not miss activities and most importantly trying to keep them distracted. But, they are very aware of what’s going on and their anxiety level is high.
As mentioned earlier, the family does not have funds to pay for the repair. The estimated cost to repair the retaining wall, the driveway, the stairs and the railing, all of which must be replaced in order for them to return to their home is estimated at $40,000.
These two sisters dedicate their time to taking care of their children and keeping them safe. Right now they are facing something they definitely never expected, the possibility of homelessness and complete devastation. We are hoping that this caring community can rally around this family and help them during this traumatic time. Any donation is appreciated and will help this family return to their home.
It is a very scary and precarious time for the Lebow family. I am hoping we can take some of this pressure off of them, pull together, and help them recover.
Thank you very much for your support and generosity.
Organizer and beneficiary
Felicia Lebow
Beneficiary