My name is Elizabeth and I live with my significant other, Philip. Philip owns a Karate Dojo and is a lifelong martial artist whose focus is on improving the lives and health of the young and young at heart. I am a Sheriff's Deputy with over two years of service to the public in a variety of capacities. Our third family member is my big goofy dog, Z, who is a 13-year-old mutt who loves all the attention. The morning of April 20, 2024, was very normal for us. I stayed home with Z while Philip went to teach Karate, and we had plans to go out in the evening to Charlotte, NC. I would like nothing more than to have had our simple day go as it was planned. But it didn't.
Today is October 20, 2024. 6 months ago today (April 20, 2024), a major wind and hail storm ripped through Rock Hill, South Carolina. This storm caused a massive 100 year old willow oak tree to break, crushing our home. A contractor and tree removal company were hired that day; however, the power line entangled in the tree was active and work could not begin. The tree sat on and in our home for three full days due to the unpreparedness of the local utility company. This was the onset of a series of catastrophic delays. In the past 6 months, there has been a constant struggle of fighting with the insurance company (Homesite through Progressive).
The first battle was housing. The first 9 weeks, my partner and I lived in a hotel room. I'll repeat that, 9 weeks in a hotel room. 9 weeks of living in a small space with no kitchen, no sense of security, and a constant feeling of fatigue. These 9 weeks also put a major dent in the housing allowance of $64,000. The ONLY reason we got out of the hotel and into a rental house is because WE took extraordinary measures. The insurance company saw no issue in letting our allowance deplete and leave us stranded and homeless. Now, we struggle with the fact that 1/3 of our housing allowance remains, which would be alright if we had an end in sight. But we don't.
Again, the storm occurred 6 months ago TODAY. The house remains standing with no power, water, and completely open to the elements. It's disgusting. The house has not been declared a total loss, and the insurance adjuster refused to listen to us when we told him there was additional damage. The adjuster sent an engineer to the house 7 weeks after the storm; however, the engineer did not communicate with us until the day of his inspection. The engineer walked through our home without either of us present and made biased opinions based on the age of the house. The adjuster and engineer refused to listen when we told them their conclusions were wrong.
There have been NO repairs started on our home. The ONLY work that has happened is the asbestos removal that is required by the State of South Carolina, and this occurred in the last month. The tarp over the roof has been replaced several times, and the crawlspace of the house is constantly flooded (which was never a problem before the storm). The insurance company has caused countless delays regarding mandatory inspections and appointments, and the adjuster is practically ghosting us.
There is so much more I could add, from being separated from my 13-year-old dog for the last 6 months to the contents that were destroyed and the insurance's lack of attempts to make us feel whole again. We have tried so much in the last 6 months: reaching out to news stations, filing a complaint with the department of insurance, talking to attorneys, etc. All we want is to feel like we did on the morning of April 20th again. We want our home back and our lives restored.
It is our intention to use the funds raised to restore our home to a livable condition and return to our lives of helping our community in our own unique ways.
TLDR: Home destroyed, criminal insurance company, impending homelessness