Rebuilding our home after Hurricane Idalia

Dear compassionate friends and supporters,

I hope this message finds you well. Today, I find myself in an incredibly challenging situation, and I humbly reach out to you for the help we so desperately need.

Hurricane Idalia brought unprecedented devastation to our beloved home in the Historic District of Tarpon Springs, where we've cherished 13 wonderful years of memories. The relentless storm surge inundated our neighborhood, with water surging above waist height on our streets. Tragically, our entire home, every single room, was submerged.

As we awoke at 7 am that fateful morning with our precious 2.5 and 3.5-year-old children, the water was already ankle-deep. The kitchen was the sole refuge from the rising floodwaters, but even there, we were met with the overwhelming scent of gasoline and electrical fires. Flames erupted sporadically throughout the house, consuming possessions like our soundbar, robot vacuum, and cell phones.

We've been forced to part with most of our belongings, including all of our furniture, due to water damage, mold, and contamination. Our house requires a complete overhaul, and for now, myself, my two toddlers, my fiancé, and my brother are without a place to call home. The little ones, aged 2.5 and 3.5, have borne the brunt of this tragedy.

At this moment, we urgently require financial assistance to address the extensive damages and to bring a semblance of normalcy back into our babies' lives. We have temporary shelter secured until the 14th, and we've initiated claims with both our flood insurance company and FEMA. Regrettably, the assistance process is lengthy, and it will be weeks, if not months, before we receive any aid.

FEMA has regrettably denied our request for emergency housing support until the flood claim process concludes. They've stipulated that they won't provide emergency funds until they're absolutely certain insurance won't cover essentials like accommodation. Since flood insurance doesn't extend to loss of use, we're relying on FEMA to provide a safe place to stay while our mold-infested home is gutted—a process that grows more urgent with each passing day.

Currently, I am the sole provider for three adults and two children, but I'm on disability pending surgery for my right ECU tendon. I'm receiving only 50% of my usual income, which was already insufficient before this unexpected disaster struck.

Once our home is emptied and gutted, my fiancé can return to work, but presently, he's indispensable at home, managing the strenuous tasks of removing wet drywall, tearing up tile flooring, and dismantling countertops, among other things. It's a full-scale renovation, with only two toilets, two upper cabinets, and four windows salvaged. Everything else must be replaced.

We're doing our best to handle as much of the demolition as possible, but we're quickly running out of available credit to cover expenses while we wait for insurance claims to be processed. We've been accumulating credit card debt to pay for dumpsters, storage pods, fuel for our daily commutes across two counties and three cities, and meals of convenience, as our hotel room offers limited culinary options. Additionally, we've had to replace daily necessities like our children's clothing, shoes, and diapers, all of which were lost in the flood.

Whether you can contribute $1 or $100, every penny matters tremendously right now. My family and I are deeply grateful for anything you can spare. Your prayers are also welcome and cherished.

Despite the immense challenges we face, we have found solace in the fact that we were able to salvage items from the top of our closets and anything hanging on top racks. Dishes and items stored in the upper cabinets of our bathroom and kitchen also survived. These possessions are now all that remain of our 13-year history in this home. We are profoundly thankful that, despite the harrowing experience of waking up to ankle-deep water and electrical fires, we made it out safely with our girls, thanks to the assistance of emergency services.

Ultimately, what matters most is that our family emerged from this catastrophe without injuries. We are incredibly grateful for what we still have.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for taking the time to read our story. Please give what you can, and know that my family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us rebuild our lives.

With immense appreciation,

Selena