Carl & Doris'/Uninsured Flood Loss
Donation protected
On August 3, 2017 our town and region in Burlington County, New Jersey experienced a record torrential rainfall that inundated everything. My husband Carl and I were away on vacation celebrating his birthday at the shore when we received a frantic call from our neighbor advising us his
basement was flooded and he thought ours was also. I remotely opened our front door through our security system allowing him to inspect our home. The news was heartbreaking. He reported that a deluge had filled our finished basement living space with water. Our neighbors called the fire company, who spent over five hours pumping out the water. When we got home the fire official said "brace yourself" you
have a lot of water in your basement ... over six feet! He said the pressure of water and debris outside had broken our basement window and allowed the flood waters to come in. The damage was severe and we were devastated, it was hard to hold back the tears. The water had submerged and destroyed everything! Our electrical circuit breaker panel and outlets were all under water and had to be replaced due to a fire hazard. The water destroyed our central air conditioning, the heating unit (including the associated equipment outside) and our heat pump at a cost of over $3,000. We lost our electric fire-place, a 65-inch curved flat-screen TV, a 32 inch flat screen TV, all our furniture, including two reclining leather loveseats, an electric treadmill, a computer, photocopier, fax machine, telephones, four doors, and all other possessions in the basement, including expensive artwork and other decorative items. There was also significant damage to our hot water heater and snow blower. In addition to the property lost, we had to immediately hire a restoration company to take out the drenched carpeting, furniture, and other debris. They had to remove all the drywall and insulation to administer a special mold-prevention treatment. The total cost of that restoration was almost $10,000. We also had to payout several hundred dollars to repair damage to our specially designed carbon bicycles. We were further devastated when we learned that our homeowner's policy, through no fault or neglect of our own, did not cover damages resulting from a flood. When you combine the cost of the restoration specialist, the expense of replacing all the above-described damaged items, replacing the drywall, insulation , and other features of our finished basement living space, the total real expense to us resulting from this incident is over $25,000.
We have never asked for anything before and it is very difficult for us to do that now. However, we are now faced with a totally unexpected and substantial loss for which there is no insurance coverage. We, as senior citizens living on a fixed income, have been virtually forced to seek outside assistance. We are trusting, praying, and believing the Lord will give us complete restoration. We thank God for any help and love you can provide to us at this very difficult time in our lives. We would greatly appreciate any donations as soon as possible.
May God bless you,
Carl and Doris Stiles
basement was flooded and he thought ours was also. I remotely opened our front door through our security system allowing him to inspect our home. The news was heartbreaking. He reported that a deluge had filled our finished basement living space with water. Our neighbors called the fire company, who spent over five hours pumping out the water. When we got home the fire official said "brace yourself" you
have a lot of water in your basement ... over six feet! He said the pressure of water and debris outside had broken our basement window and allowed the flood waters to come in. The damage was severe and we were devastated, it was hard to hold back the tears. The water had submerged and destroyed everything! Our electrical circuit breaker panel and outlets were all under water and had to be replaced due to a fire hazard. The water destroyed our central air conditioning, the heating unit (including the associated equipment outside) and our heat pump at a cost of over $3,000. We lost our electric fire-place, a 65-inch curved flat-screen TV, a 32 inch flat screen TV, all our furniture, including two reclining leather loveseats, an electric treadmill, a computer, photocopier, fax machine, telephones, four doors, and all other possessions in the basement, including expensive artwork and other decorative items. There was also significant damage to our hot water heater and snow blower. In addition to the property lost, we had to immediately hire a restoration company to take out the drenched carpeting, furniture, and other debris. They had to remove all the drywall and insulation to administer a special mold-prevention treatment. The total cost of that restoration was almost $10,000. We also had to payout several hundred dollars to repair damage to our specially designed carbon bicycles. We were further devastated when we learned that our homeowner's policy, through no fault or neglect of our own, did not cover damages resulting from a flood. When you combine the cost of the restoration specialist, the expense of replacing all the above-described damaged items, replacing the drywall, insulation , and other features of our finished basement living space, the total real expense to us resulting from this incident is over $25,000.
We have never asked for anything before and it is very difficult for us to do that now. However, we are now faced with a totally unexpected and substantial loss for which there is no insurance coverage. We, as senior citizens living on a fixed income, have been virtually forced to seek outside assistance. We are trusting, praying, and believing the Lord will give us complete restoration. We thank God for any help and love you can provide to us at this very difficult time in our lives. We would greatly appreciate any donations as soon as possible.
May God bless you,
Carl and Doris Stiles
Organizer
Doris Stiles
Organizer
Florence, NJ
