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.
Open thread!