Nebraska Flood Relief Gonzalez-Paniagua Family
Donation protected
On Friday, March 15, 2019 at 2 p.m., Yasser Gonzalez and Patricia Paniagua, along with their children Alexa (16), Allison (8), and Jeremy (5), were evacuated from their home in the Paradise Lakes Neighborhood of Bellevue, Nebraska. They placed as many items as possible on tables and counters, grabbed their dogs, Joker and Harley, and left home. Believing it would be a short-term evacuation, they only took a few material essentials with them. They checked into a motel that would allow Joker and Harley that night.
On Saturday, they learned through a video from the Bellevue Police Department that their neighborhood was in “total devastation.” Their home, along with nearly all of their belongings and their pet turtles and fish were completely inundated. Sunday, they moved in with a family member in Omaha, where they will stay temporarily until they find a new home. Due to limited space, Joker and Harley are currently at the Humane Society where they can stay for up to 14 days, at which point their family will need to find further accommodation for them until they all move into a new home together.
The Gonzalez-Paniaguas had renter’s insurance, but flood coverage was not included. Yasser has been able to continue working, and Patricia is a stay-at-home mom. They now face the overwhelming and expensive task of rebuilding their lives. Donations would be spent on clothing, groceries, bathroom supplies, and, eventually, a home, furniture, and essential items. Additionally, the children attend three different schools in two counties, and the family is using significant amounts of gas to take them to school as the bus is no longer able to pick them up and drop them off.
As a family that is used to helping others, it is difficult for the Gonzalez-Paniaguas to find themselves in a position in which they must ask for help. However, without a doubt, once they rebuild their lives, they will pay forward every kindness they receive during this devastating time.
(Fund created by Mandy Phillips, one of Patricia’s ESL teachers in a Family Literacy program in Omaha, NE.)
On Saturday, they learned through a video from the Bellevue Police Department that their neighborhood was in “total devastation.” Their home, along with nearly all of their belongings and their pet turtles and fish were completely inundated. Sunday, they moved in with a family member in Omaha, where they will stay temporarily until they find a new home. Due to limited space, Joker and Harley are currently at the Humane Society where they can stay for up to 14 days, at which point their family will need to find further accommodation for them until they all move into a new home together.
The Gonzalez-Paniaguas had renter’s insurance, but flood coverage was not included. Yasser has been able to continue working, and Patricia is a stay-at-home mom. They now face the overwhelming and expensive task of rebuilding their lives. Donations would be spent on clothing, groceries, bathroom supplies, and, eventually, a home, furniture, and essential items. Additionally, the children attend three different schools in two counties, and the family is using significant amounts of gas to take them to school as the bus is no longer able to pick them up and drop them off.
As a family that is used to helping others, it is difficult for the Gonzalez-Paniaguas to find themselves in a position in which they must ask for help. However, without a doubt, once they rebuild their lives, they will pay forward every kindness they receive during this devastating time.
(Fund created by Mandy Phillips, one of Patricia’s ESL teachers in a Family Literacy program in Omaha, NE.)
Organizer and beneficiary
Mandy Snyder Phillips
Organizer
Omaha, NE
Patricia paniagua
Beneficiary
