Hurricane Matthew Relief
Donation protected
My name is Cole Pizzingrilli. I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. My family and I are trying to raise money for my brother, Ryan, his wife, Rahna, and their five children: Brianna, nine years old; Brandon, eight; Isabella, six; Gabriella, four; and Colton, who just turned two.
Ryan is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, NC. He has served 14 years active duty, with three deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. Rahna just recently went back to school to become a dental hygienist. They live in Fayetteville, NC, and they were greatly affected by the recent Hurricane Matthew.
On Saturday, October 8th, their neighborhood flooded after 16 inches of rain caused a dam to break a 1/2 mile away. The water rose all the way up to their doorstep, and their entire house flooded. They have no basement, only a crawlspace which spans the entire house. The crawlspace water vapor barrier was destroyed, as well as the crawlspace insulation. The water poured into their central air ducts and ruined the system. All the duct work and duct work insulation was destroyed. The subflooring throughout much of the house must be replaced (full extent of damage still to be determined). All four bedrooms were carpeted, and all of this has to be replaced. The drywall and wall insulation has to be torn out two feet up from the floor throughout the entire house. All baseboards must be replaced. The entire kitchen floor and the floor cabinets were damaged. Most of the wood flooring in the house is recovering and appears to be free of water damage, except that of the dining room and the foyer. Fortunately, none of their furniture, electronics, or appliances were damaged.
In addition to the house damage, Ryan and Rahna's two cars were ruined. There is also significant damage to their yard and landscaping. The repair cost estimate they were given for most of the damage to the house is $31,000. This does not include $4,100 to replace the 830 sq. ft. of carpet (quote from Lowe's), $4,000-$6,000 to replace their air conditioning unit, $1,000 for landscaping costs, or approximately $6,000 to buy a used vehicle for Ryan. The vehicle used by Rahna and the kids is fortunately being covered by insurance. We are grateful that FEMA--the federal emergency management agency--is coming through with $15,000; however, this still leaves a large financial disparity. And, as their house is not in a flood zone, and there had never been a flood in their area, they did not, nor did their neighbors, have flood insurance on their house.
Currently, as their house is in the early stages of being fixed, Ryan and Rahna and the five children are staying with friends. They will be unable to live in their home for an extended (and as yet unknown) period of time, and they do not have a working vehicle.
Nothing can take away the immense stress and anguish of dealing with such a traumatic event, but receiving financial aid to assist in their damage costs will ease at least one of the major aspects of their burden.
My family and I are asking for donations through gofundme to help Ryan and Rahna and their family during this time of significant need. If you or anyone you know are willing, we would greatly appreciate any donation, big or small, to help offset their cost. They will soon be required to apply for loans to cover these costs, so we are looking to raise this money fairly quickly. Please help; your generosity and support mean more than you know.
Sincerely and thankfully,
Cole Pizzingrilli and family.
Ryan is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, NC. He has served 14 years active duty, with three deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. Rahna just recently went back to school to become a dental hygienist. They live in Fayetteville, NC, and they were greatly affected by the recent Hurricane Matthew.
On Saturday, October 8th, their neighborhood flooded after 16 inches of rain caused a dam to break a 1/2 mile away. The water rose all the way up to their doorstep, and their entire house flooded. They have no basement, only a crawlspace which spans the entire house. The crawlspace water vapor barrier was destroyed, as well as the crawlspace insulation. The water poured into their central air ducts and ruined the system. All the duct work and duct work insulation was destroyed. The subflooring throughout much of the house must be replaced (full extent of damage still to be determined). All four bedrooms were carpeted, and all of this has to be replaced. The drywall and wall insulation has to be torn out two feet up from the floor throughout the entire house. All baseboards must be replaced. The entire kitchen floor and the floor cabinets were damaged. Most of the wood flooring in the house is recovering and appears to be free of water damage, except that of the dining room and the foyer. Fortunately, none of their furniture, electronics, or appliances were damaged.
In addition to the house damage, Ryan and Rahna's two cars were ruined. There is also significant damage to their yard and landscaping. The repair cost estimate they were given for most of the damage to the house is $31,000. This does not include $4,100 to replace the 830 sq. ft. of carpet (quote from Lowe's), $4,000-$6,000 to replace their air conditioning unit, $1,000 for landscaping costs, or approximately $6,000 to buy a used vehicle for Ryan. The vehicle used by Rahna and the kids is fortunately being covered by insurance. We are grateful that FEMA--the federal emergency management agency--is coming through with $15,000; however, this still leaves a large financial disparity. And, as their house is not in a flood zone, and there had never been a flood in their area, they did not, nor did their neighbors, have flood insurance on their house.
Currently, as their house is in the early stages of being fixed, Ryan and Rahna and the five children are staying with friends. They will be unable to live in their home for an extended (and as yet unknown) period of time, and they do not have a working vehicle.
Nothing can take away the immense stress and anguish of dealing with such a traumatic event, but receiving financial aid to assist in their damage costs will ease at least one of the major aspects of their burden.
My family and I are asking for donations through gofundme to help Ryan and Rahna and their family during this time of significant need. If you or anyone you know are willing, we would greatly appreciate any donation, big or small, to help offset their cost. They will soon be required to apply for loans to cover these costs, so we are looking to raise this money fairly quickly. Please help; your generosity and support mean more than you know.
Sincerely and thankfully,
Cole Pizzingrilli and family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Cole Joseph
Organizer
Lancaster, PA
Ryan Pizzingrilli
Beneficiary
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