Michael's Flood Recovery Fund

BACKSTORY Hi there! My name is Michael. I'm 22 years old and studying writing and teaching at Michigan State University. I was working as a server/bartender until I was laid off at the onset of the pandemic. Above is a picture of me in my hometown of Midland, Michigan. When I'm not working or studying I enjoy gardening, photography, travel, volunteering for social justice movements, and finding sticks for my rescue dog. Her name is Arya! Unfortunately I've suffered a lot of blows over the last few years. When I was 19 both of my parents passed from cancer. My dad passed away from complications related to brain cancer in late August of 2017, and less than two months later I had to say goodbye to my mom after her short battle with ovarian cancer. From there I've had to navigate a lot of adulthood by myself. I've kept a positive attitude while trying to show my little brother how to find light during a time that has been pretty dark. He was only 12 when this happened and I had to be strong for both of us. My remaining asset was my family's home. It was the roof over my head while I grieved and worked for my education, and it kept my little brother safe when I took him in for a year. It's been my shelter since the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic, when I had to leave the MSU campus.  Beyond that, it held so many of the remaining memories I have of my parents. In this moment, I have no idea what will survive of them when I return to the house.  WHAT HAPPENED  On May 19th I received text alerts that both the Edenville and Sanford dams outside of my town were in imminent failure. Since I stayed through Midland's last record breaking flood in 2017, we decided to stay home and ride out any flooding that may occur. It very quickly became apparent that this wouldn't be an option. As I watched the water creep higher up my street throughout the night, I also heard my basement windows give way under the amount of water ready to come pouring in. At 1:30 in the morning the water had reached my front door, and we had to be evacuated by airboat. At that point, the water level was expected to rise another 8 feet.  When I was able to safely return to my home on the 22nd, it was to find several feet of water still in the basement along with a smashed window and badly damaged floors. MOVING FORWARD Right now I'm very grateful to be staying with my dear friend and roommate Sean and his family until I can plan my next steps. With the extensive damage done to the house my primary goal is to mitigate the damage to prevent any further harm in the house. In the meantime I'm a queer, mentally ill, unemployed student with no home or transportation. Any money I'm able to raise during these uncertain times will go to my needs, in order of the highest priority. That includes: -bills  (phone, utilities, tuition) -pet care (vaccines, food) -transportation (public transportation fees, vehicle purchasing) -cleanup (pumping water, scrapping, sanitation, drying) -moving costs (rent payments) For many, this will be the first time I've shared the circumstances of my life and asked for any kind of aid. Hopefully the severity of my situation is clear, and for those in similar situations I send all my love. I'm in a very uncertain time of my life, and any help I receive will be a blessing. I'll be sure to leave updates on any progress as this is all still very new. Thank you for your time!