HURRICANE HELP NEEDED

     My name is Tom Loughridge and I have spent my life working to create a better or more enjoyable life for others through education, entertainment, through my church, and by being directly involved in activities that benefit others. Since retiring from my teaching profession, which began in 1957, I have been active in local drama and music productions. Most recently, I have helped prisoners study for their GEDs so they can return to society with a better chance of being successful. 

     Even though circumstances have left me without a teacher retirement income, I have only rarely asked for help. I come from a tradition of making things work, fixing things, and working out problems by myself. This time is different; Circumstances have changed and we find ourselves in a spot which I can't fix with duck tape and WD40. In a few years I will be gone, I'm 84, and without me, over a third of our income, which derives from a trust fund, will vanish. I hate to imagine leaving my wife with the expenses left from the hurricane and house repairs on top of everything else she will need without me.

     It's not easy living on a fixed income of around $29,000 - $30,000 a year but we were doing surprisingly well with our house on a reverse mortgage and inflation staying low for quite a while. Then came Hurricane Michael and some very expensive repairs. At the same time, auto repairs and several non-hurricane related house repairs were needed. We expected the insurance to cover most of the cost but we were soon to discover that hurricane deductibles are calculated differently from other wind damage. With about $15,000 worth of damage, our deductible allowed only a little over $1,200 insurance payment to cover all the bills. Because we have insurance,  FEMA was unable to help except to guide us to a low interest Small Business Administration loan for $15,400 which we must begin to pay in December at $107.00 per month. With our fixed income and a small part-time job to cover the little extras that arise, that puts us one unexpected expense away from financial disaster! 

     With one of us in his 80's and the other in her 70's, we don't expect to be able to keep this up much longer using part-time income and selling our stuff to make ends meet. Therefor, as much as it pains us, we must ask for help paying off this unexpected Hurricane Michael debt.

     Anything up to $15,400 will go to pay off the SBA loan. Beyond that amount, the funds will be used for necessary repairs to our home and auto and upgrades to withstand the next storm so we won't be caught like this again and some of the excess funds might be passed on to others in need.

     NONE of the money will be used to buy alcohol, drugs, entertainment, stuff, or regular household expenses. The money is intended to pay for this emergency, NOT to upgrade our lifestyle.