Urgent Help for Bob's Flood Recovery

I feel so bad asking for help but it’s not for me, it’s for my 75 year old dad, Bob who had to leave his house Sunday with the clothes on his back, his box of cardiac & pulmonary meds, his calendar and little dog. Like so many others in SE Wisconsin, he just experienced total loss of home and all possessions due to the catastrophic flooding in Milwaukee this past weekend. His home is in one of the hardest-hit areas. Floodwaters completely filled his basement to the rafters. The water damage was so severe it caused 2 whole walls of the foundation to collapse—you can literally see into his basement for the length of the backyard.

Since 2 entire walls of the basement caved in, the remaining water couldn’t be pumped out for fear it was the only thing keeping the rest of the structure from falling apart. The foundation failure also triggered a water pipe to burst that even though we notified the water company on Sunday, they didn’t turn it off until Tuesday evening.

My dad Bob & his little dog Timmy lost everything in a single night. He hasn’t been able to enter the home to retrieve personal belongings due to the safety risks.

To make matters worse, like many others affected, his insurance company has denied his claim, citing no coverage for flash floods. He's still responsible for the 42k mortgage on a home that’s no longer livable.

Despite the devastation, we’re grateful that everyone is physically okay—but emotionally and financially, this is overwhelming. My dad has always been the one to handle the situation when something needed to be done. When my mom was diagnosed with breast just after I was born, he took care of her and a new born. She passed away when I was 18 months old and then took care of me as a single dad until he got married when I was 16. Unfortunately, his 2nd wife had demons from her childhood and 1st marriage they he couldn’t support out of her. He tried so hard but then he had to survive her suicide in 2020 that crushed him. He re-built his life after that and has always been the helper and best grandpa when I needed Kenzie picked up after school or buddy to hang with her. Now, he’s the one who needs help. I can’t believe he allowed me to set this up for him as he hates to ask for help. It shows the level of need he’s experiencing. The hopelessness truly hit him this AM (Thurs 8/14) when he realized insur won’t pay towards repair/damages and he still owes so much on the house.

Any amount you can give will go directly to helping my dad begin to rebuild his life. Again, I’m so sorry to ask and I thank you for showing support, with prayers and/or donation in this time of urgent need.