We have an update from Jennifer on their house in Sanibel. I watched the videos below and I hope you take a few minutes and watch them, too. The devastation is remarkable, and heartbreaking.
They really give you a feel for all the destruction.
To go from this:
This.
And this.
To this in a heartbeat.
Note from Jennifer:
Thank you all for supporting me and my Sanibel fundraiser. I raised just over $6800 in October — via Sanibel Island Mystery book and merchandise sales and donations, minus expenses (Facebook ads) — half of which I will be donating to local charities, mainly FISH, CHR, and the Gulf Coast Humane Society. (NB: I won’t actually see that money until December or January, but I will be donating $3400 of it this month.)
For those wondering about the extent of the damage we sustained, here are a couple of videos my husband took of our place – https://youtu.be/E9UcH2PwB9s and https://youtu.be/xbkoySSAaos.
The house has now been stripped down to the framing and sanitized, the noxious sludge gone. But as our insurance company will not cover any storm surge-related damage, despite us having hurricane coverage*, we are SOL and have neither the money nor stamina to go through another massive whole-house renovation. (We had just finished renovating the house after being ripped off by two different contractors.)
And while I am sleeping a bit better and eating, I am still struggling. I have awful anxiety dreams that wake me up in the middle of the night and have had a migraine at least once a week. And get sad thinking about all of the things that can never be replaced, like our wedding photos and pictures of my father, who died 19.5 years ago. (I actually found our wedding photographer and asked him if he still had the negatives. But he lost them in a flood. Ironic, no?) I also really miss my shoes. (I have narrow, flat feet, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to find shoes that fit me.) But I remind myself that we are more fortunate than many of those affected by the storm and try not to dwell and move on.
Anyway, that’s my update. Thanks for your support. It’s much appreciated. And if you know of anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and/or loves Sanibel, please tell them about my books and Sanibel calendar.
J.
Within the Margin of Effort – GA Runoff (We Have Angels!) Just $164 Needed!
PaulB
I’m so sorry for your loss. That’s just devastating, looking at the before and after. If there is anything that anyone here can do, please ask.
Edited to add: I just took a look at your page about your remodeling experience. That’s just horrifying. To go through all of that, then to finally get everything right, only to have it all demolished and taken away from you. I can’t even imagine what that must feel like.
Lapassionara
That bit about having hurricane coverage but not water damage coverage is just bullshit. My understanding is that property insurance along the Florida coast is very expensive. People are paying lots of money to insure their homes against wind damage? That makes no sense to me.
Sister Golden Bear
Heartbreaking. I’m so sorry. And the insurance company BS is infuriating.
WaterGirl
@Lapassionara: It is bullshit. x1000
I wonder if this kind of thing is what Charlie Crist was referring to when he talked about insurance being fucked up in Florida.
WaterGirl
J. – that picture of your first floor looks idyllic, like you would pinch yourself every day, grateful for the peace and perfection. And then destroyed in a heartbeat. It doesn’t help, but my heart breaks for you. You in particular because we feel like we know you, but also for everyone who loses everything and then the insurance they thought they had turns out to be close to worthless.
Or in your case, worthless.
Ishmael
Jennifer, do you make any money from readers using Kindle unlimited, or should
we purchase the paperback? Happy to purchase the paperback if you make more from
that.
So sorry for the devastation of your home. Hoping for better sleep and sunnier days soon
for you and your family.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl: The State of Florida is their largest insurer because so many private firms have pulled out. Given it’s the Republican State of Florida I can well imagine the quality and level of response is…not great.
J.
@PaulB: Thank you. Re what does it feel like? It sucks. But I’m trying not to be too bitter.
J.
@Ishmael: I get money for pages read on Kindle Unlimited. Not a lot, but something. So go ahead and check out one of the books there. If you hate it, I’ll still get a few cents. 😊
Suzanne
That’s brutal. I’m so sorry.
J.
@trollhattan: The response from insurance companies has been appalling. But that’s in part due to the large number of claims.
WaterGirl
@J.: I wish our collective sadness, frustration, anger and rage at the situation could help you in some way!
Were you able to go back and retrieve any of your things from upstairs? Or was it just too painful or impossible?
Ishmael
@J.: I read the first two on Kindle unlimited when you first mentioned them after the storm. I really enjoyed them but didn’t want to read them all on KU if you didn’t make any money from them. I will order and enjoy the paperbacks from here on out!
Be safe and rest well
Ishmael
trollhattan
@J.:
I can believe it. We have our wildfire insurance horror stories but a big ol’ hurricane will involve a lot more properties.
If we ever get the giant Central Valley flood we’ll find out a lot about our own insurance shortcomings. I will leave earthquakes for another day.
J.
@WaterGirl: We were able to get our things — clothes, my jewelry, Kenny’s guitars, even some furniture and art — from our bedroom upstairs. Though everything stunk by the time we were able to get it, and I must have done 12 loads of laundry. Still, so grateful to get anything out of there.
Cowgirl in the Sandi
Jennifer – I am so, soooo sad for you and for Sanibel. It is just heartbreaking to see your videos and think about the devastation. Sanibel is one of my favorite places and it just is so sad to think of it now. I already ordered your books but if there is anything else we can do, please let us know – and know that we are thinking of you.
J.
@Ishmael: Thank you. ❤️
J.
@Cowgirl in the Sandi: Thank you. ❤️ Just spread the word.
WaterGirl
@J.: Having your clothes and jewelry must make you feel at least a little bit more normal? Glad Kenny got his guitars!
Were you able to get the smell out of the clothes? Out of the furniture? Out of the guitars?
Cowgirl in the Sandi
@J.:
We’re going to be on the gulf coast in early December. Can people who don’t live there get to the island to support restaurants, stores, etc or is everything still closed?
raven
My friends in Cape Coral escaped damage because their house was built “post-Hugo” and is thee feet higher than the other houses on their street that are trashed. They moved their next-door neighbors in with them but I think they are going to sell and get the fuck out.
raven
@WaterGirl: Most of the damage is flood and very few people have flood insurance, even down there. My buddy said the more well heeled people in his hood are “self-insured” meaning they have the money to rebuild.
WaterGirl
@raven: Who is going to sell? Your friends or the neighbors they took in?
eclare
Thank you so much for the update, I have been thinking of you. I can’t imagine that kind of loss.
CaseyL
Thank you for this update. I am so sorry to hear insurance won’t cover the water damage, and no, it doesn’t make any sense: of course a hurricane is going to cause water damage as well as wind damage!
I hope you can stay where you are long enough to achieve some mental balance and clarity before you have to make decisions about the house and property. I have no idea what your budget is, or the possible restrictions where you live, but could you demolish the current house and put, say, a modular/manufactured home on the property?
J.
@WaterGirl: Yes and yes. Mostly. 😊
J.
@CaseyL: No. It’s prohibitively expensive for us to rebuild and there are strict rules. We are forced to sell and will be taking a huge loss.
WaterGirl
@J.: Having a great sense of smell is a double-edged sword. :-)
J.
@Cowgirl in the Sandi: I don’t think they are letting people who don’t live or work there on the island. Too much theft as it is and the island is in horrible shape. Though at least one restaurant has reopened. Check out mysanibel.com for info.
Elizabelle
J, I’m so sorry.
Did we ever hear a cumulative death/injury toll from Ian? Property damage estimate?
In a state that underreports Covid deaths, don’t know what to expect WRT hurricane toll.
currawong
I did post this the other day – a story in the New Yorker about Sanibel Island
It’s heartbreaking, especially to hear how Jennifer had just renovated the house and the poor insurance cover.
I was the CIO for a non-profit organisation here in Oz (just retired) and I used to go round the organisation giving talks to staff on personal safety online (you know, learn good habits at home and bring them to work). One of the pieces of advice that I gave was one that I took up after an account manager we had told me how she had lost everything in a bushfire – but the biggest loss were her photos, her link to her past.
I then spent the next 18 months scanning all of our photos and syncing the up to Google Photos. You have to choose one location and Google was the easiest and it was free at the time. The advantage now is that whatever happens, my family will have access to them. I know it’s too late for Jennifer but it was a piece of advice well received by the people I gave it too.
kalakal
Thank you for the update. devastating, I’m so sorry for all you’ve lost. The insurance situation down here is infuriating, it’s very expensive, if you can get it, and then flood insurance is on top. I’m glad you were able to recover your stuff from the top floor
raven
@WaterGirl: Our friends. They have a house in Brevard and really like it up there.
RepubAnon
@Lapassionara: One wonders whether an insurance company calling something “hurricane coverage” while excluding storm surge from the hurricane is something that would interest a Florida plaintiff attorney.
raven
@RepubAnon: Catch 22
Anotherlurker
Oh Jennifer, my heart breaks for you, having to go thru this.
Betty
Truly heartbreaking. There must be so many more stories like that. My cousin’s house north of Fort Myers had wind damage and the subsequent rain pretty much destroyed the whole interior. Their insurance is covering the loss and helping with lodging until repairs are done. It will take months. All in all, they feel fortunate that it wasn’t much worse. It is still traumatic. Best of luck going forward, Jennifer.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@raven: Brevard, NC? That is a beautiful area.
Skepticat
I empathize and wish you well. After Hurricane Dorian, the only thing left of my home in The Bahamas is my cistern, but after two years, I’ve decided to rebuild. At my age, with our new normal weather and in a country where insurance is prohibitively expensive, this probably isn’t a wise decision. However, it’s an impossibly beautiful place and where my heart is. My property is at the height of land (a dizzying 35 feet about sea level), so surge isn’t a problem, and the new design is rugged. I’m facing my second winter in New England is more than two decades, and it’s time.
Lapassionara
@RepubAnon: One wonders indeed!
J.
@Skepticat: I understand and wish you good luck. For us, however, there’s no going back. Too painful and too risky. Though we don’t know where to go.