Peace peace.

My name is Sheena, mother of one, sibling of several and an organizer based in Prince George’s County, MD.

Last month our house experienced a domino effect of catastrophes. Ahead of the massive heatwave in June, our outdoor AC unit needed emergency repairs. These repairs were delayed by severe storms on more than one occasion. Once the initial repairs were complete, the first attempt to get the AC back running tripped the breaker. This triggered the death of an ancient electrical panel which needed to be replaced immediately. These two projects were already estimated to be thousands of dollars separately. What choice did we have but to proceed?

Removing the panel soon revealed gratuitous wiring and electrical issues, in addition to requiring all electricity to be shut off during its replacement. During all of this work, temperatures inside have been 83° and higher based on conditions outdoors. Having endured the aforementioned heatwave with box fans offered very little relief, as it was still in the high 80s after nightfall. While there have been numerous updates, the project continues to drain resources.

Sparse power in the house was better than none, but not by much. The lack of refrigeration caused the disposal of hundreds of dollars in food. The air conditioner unit itself is still not fully operational, but since the electrical issue is taking precedent, there may be additional repair costs for the AC unit because the fan isn’t working and the air is not cool when it comes through the vents.

Despite doing everything we can, the project is exceeding the initial budget and putting a strain on every facet of home life. Extension cords are powering more than they should and there are electric cooktops, which means no one has cooked in days. My child is in good spirits, but I don’t want to keep having no answers to when this is going to be over.

We are up to our neck in nightmare and any additional financial support would help. Summer has been nothing but stressful and until any of these issues are resolved, I don’t know how things are going to go. The lack of certainty does nothing for anyone living through trying to dig themselves out of a hole, which only grows deeper when new issues are uncovered.