Hurricane Ian Relief for Marilyn & Loney Harris

Marilyn & Loney Harris are close friends to all of us running this fundraiser. 100% of all funds that are donated will go directly to Marilyn and Loney

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed Ft. Myers. In 2006, Marilyn and Loney became official snowbirds dividing their time between Somerset and Ft. Myers before settling there permanently in 2014. They loved the warm weather and proximity of beautiful beaches. Loney would often describe their lifestyle as “livin’ the dream”. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian it is more “livin’ the nightmare”. Complicating their tragic story is Loney having had a colonoscopy a few days before Ian. His bowel was perforated during the procedure and he needed emergency surgery. He was released from the hospital Monday night to face not only pain from the surgery but mandatory evacuation. Marilyn had secured a hotel reservation 3 hours across state in Delray Beach but imagine the trauma with that lengthy drive, residual pain from the surgery, and anxiety about the hurricane. The hurricane left their home with 4’ of water and mud/silt. After the water receded they were able to walk/wade in to assess the damage. In addition to losing everything below that 4’ water mark, Loney lost his car. They did not have flood insurance. The house is uninhabitable. Marilyn and Loney were able to save some of their prized possessions above the water mark. All bed and bath linens and personal care items will need to be replaced, as well as most of their clothing and all of their furniture and appliances. These are more long term needs. As most of you know, Marilyn and Loney were both exceptional chefs and their kitchen reflected their love of cooking and entertaining. Marilyn thinks they will be able to rent a small apartment for a year to enable them time to reflect and perhaps rent another home in the general area but not in the flood zone. Take a moment to look around your own home and imagine what havoc 4’ of water and mud/silt can inflict. The psychological and emotional toll is unimaginable. Please open your hearts to support our dear friends. Many of Marilyn and Loney’s friends and family have reached out to help financially. We have set up this GoFundMe as a vehicle for them to do so. We are working through the Firefighters Wives Association Inc - Somerset, MA because they are a 501(c)3 organization which was founded to help displaced families from fire and other disasters. All donations are tax deductible.

to keep up to date on them, please check out Facebook page created for them at https://www.Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086609409652

Ann M. Holt

Nancy Martin Bernier

Pat Haddad

Sharron Furtado