Pulling together resources for my sister post-hurricane
October 11, 2018 9:33 PM Subscribe
My sister lives in a town that was smacked awfully hard by Hurricane Michael (Lynn Haven, Florida, just North of Panama City). My mom got word from her earlier today thanks to a neighbor that found a cell signal that she and her dogs are alive and uninjured, and there's not significant damage to her house. That said, it will be several weeks or more until life there even begins to resemble any semblance of normality. What resources can I pull together from long-distance in the meantime to help the recovery process? Pertinent details for her life inside.
I have very little information here, but I'll provide what I know.
Housing: She's in a rental condo, but it's connected to others (not standalone), which I think helped. A window in her front/guest room blew in early but she was able to pull as much as she could out of there and shut the door. The only other damage I've heard of is some pieces of the garage ceiling falling on her car, but my guess is any damage there will be cosmetic, so she should be able to get out of town for a bit if she needs/wants to. Her neighborhood is managed property but a mix of owners/renters. I don't know if her landlord is that company or an individual investor. There's definitely some mold concern given the broken window. She does not have renter's insurance. If her living room wasn't compromised, all of her important documents (rental papers, etc.) are in the heavy dresser she has in there.
Work: She's a floor manager of a big box national Pet Supply store, but hourly wage. We have no idea what the status of that store is. From what I've seen around her town, it could be flattened. I'm 99% sure she doesn't have any wage-gap insurance. If the store is heavily damaged she may be out of work for quite a while. My family can support her for a while if needed, but it wouldn't be easy. That said, she's been with them for over a decade and has a stellar record, so if it came to it, she could likely transfer to a different store.
She has friends in Tallahassee that she could stay with for the short-term if needed (although I don't know what their status is). She's more than welcome to make the 12+-hour drive to stay with me if needed for a longer stint out of town.
If that happens, what are some crucial things (beyond rental agreement/passport/car stuff although I believe it's paid off) she needs to make sure she brings with her given her circumstances? And how would you approach that from some significant distance away?
And if anyone has experience with this, how does Federal Disaster Aid work for lost wages, etc. She's not particularly tech-savvy, so I imagine I'll be walking her through this as best I can.
Any other advice from people or family/friends of people that have been through this that I haven't thought of would be welcome.
I have very little information here, but I'll provide what I know.
Housing: She's in a rental condo, but it's connected to others (not standalone), which I think helped. A window in her front/guest room blew in early but she was able to pull as much as she could out of there and shut the door. The only other damage I've heard of is some pieces of the garage ceiling falling on her car, but my guess is any damage there will be cosmetic, so she should be able to get out of town for a bit if she needs/wants to. Her neighborhood is managed property but a mix of owners/renters. I don't know if her landlord is that company or an individual investor. There's definitely some mold concern given the broken window. She does not have renter's insurance. If her living room wasn't compromised, all of her important documents (rental papers, etc.) are in the heavy dresser she has in there.
Work: She's a floor manager of a big box national Pet Supply store, but hourly wage. We have no idea what the status of that store is. From what I've seen around her town, it could be flattened. I'm 99% sure she doesn't have any wage-gap insurance. If the store is heavily damaged she may be out of work for quite a while. My family can support her for a while if needed, but it wouldn't be easy. That said, she's been with them for over a decade and has a stellar record, so if it came to it, she could likely transfer to a different store.
She has friends in Tallahassee that she could stay with for the short-term if needed (although I don't know what their status is). She's more than welcome to make the 12+-hour drive to stay with me if needed for a longer stint out of town.
If that happens, what are some crucial things (beyond rental agreement/passport/car stuff although I believe it's paid off) she needs to make sure she brings with her given her circumstances? And how would you approach that from some significant distance away?
And if anyone has experience with this, how does Federal Disaster Aid work for lost wages, etc. She's not particularly tech-savvy, so I imagine I'll be walking her through this as best I can.
Any other advice from people or family/friends of people that have been through this that I haven't thought of would be welcome.
Is she eligible for unemployment insurance? If she receives it she would probably have to stay in Florida.
posted by Botanizer at 5:45 AM on October 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Botanizer at 5:45 AM on October 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
FEMA Individual Assistance does include Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). This would be administered by the state of FL on behalf of the US Dept of Labor. The amount of the benefit varies by state and by disaster, and is generally limited to half a year. This wont help her with cash in the short term, but i hope it can provide both of you with a little bit of piece of mind. honestly, having a long track record working for a big corporation i think shes likely to be much better off than many people, employment-wise, but the government should have all of their backs for at least a while regardless.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:45 AM on October 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:45 AM on October 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
The first thing is to make sure she has utilities. Does she have working sewer lines, drinkable tap water, electricity to heat things with and recharge the phone, and a phone that will keep working?
Does she have access or stockpiled personal necessities, such as medicine, pet food, food she can actually eat, toilet paper, menstrual products, and cleaning equipment?
Has road access been secured? Are deliveries possible in a timely manner? Can you send her care packages via Fed Ex?
Does she have access to repair materials?
Does she feel safe?
If there is road access, I would load a large car with repair materials and anything that is in short supply and drive down to her. I wouldn't ask her to leave her house in looters-magnet territory and come to you.
If she is short of money you might be able to courier things like gas cards. If she doesn't have water being able to drive a distance to get a shower and fill up water jugs might be very useful. Where are the nearest places for her to go where she can cook, shower and sleep, if any of those things are compromised? She doesn't have to drive 12 hours to you if she can get to a health club with showers two and a half hours away or to a laundromat.
Making sure her car is functional is a big first step.
Her house may be a lot more damaged than it appears at first inspection, and so might her car. She should make an appointment NOW to get her car repaired, and then cancel it if it isn't needed. You can drive car repair materials or parts to her.
If you drive to her that will mean there are at least two people available to excavate the car and move larger debris, and hold the ladder. But if you drive down to her make sure that you are in no way reliant on her for shelter, etc. Rent a hatchback and plan on sleeping in the car.
Bring some of her favourite things that comfort her. Emotional support is likely going to be very valued. Bring her best friend, or a copy of a book she loved as a child. Bring camping equipment such as a camp stove, or a barbeque if she doesn't have those, and the means to make her favourite comfort tea. Bring her a special cuddle blanket if there is room in the car. If she is largely incommunicado, approach all her other relatives and friends that you can reach and she cannot and get messages of love from them such as letters, and ten dollar Home Depot gift cards, if they can swing it. Sealable plastic pails can be useful for such things as disposing of rotten previously frozen food or sewage, or catching leaks, or bailing out the cellar. Bring something special for her dog. Make sure the dog has HIS medication.
Remember bugs can become a problem - mosquitoes from standing water.
Helping her build local community is good. So when you are there if you can get there, volunteer to hold the ladder for the people next door too. If she gave away all the food from her freezer and now has none, applaud her for doing so.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:07 AM on October 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Does she have access or stockpiled personal necessities, such as medicine, pet food, food she can actually eat, toilet paper, menstrual products, and cleaning equipment?
Has road access been secured? Are deliveries possible in a timely manner? Can you send her care packages via Fed Ex?
Does she have access to repair materials?
Does she feel safe?
If there is road access, I would load a large car with repair materials and anything that is in short supply and drive down to her. I wouldn't ask her to leave her house in looters-magnet territory and come to you.
If she is short of money you might be able to courier things like gas cards. If she doesn't have water being able to drive a distance to get a shower and fill up water jugs might be very useful. Where are the nearest places for her to go where she can cook, shower and sleep, if any of those things are compromised? She doesn't have to drive 12 hours to you if she can get to a health club with showers two and a half hours away or to a laundromat.
Making sure her car is functional is a big first step.
Her house may be a lot more damaged than it appears at first inspection, and so might her car. She should make an appointment NOW to get her car repaired, and then cancel it if it isn't needed. You can drive car repair materials or parts to her.
If you drive to her that will mean there are at least two people available to excavate the car and move larger debris, and hold the ladder. But if you drive down to her make sure that you are in no way reliant on her for shelter, etc. Rent a hatchback and plan on sleeping in the car.
Bring some of her favourite things that comfort her. Emotional support is likely going to be very valued. Bring her best friend, or a copy of a book she loved as a child. Bring camping equipment such as a camp stove, or a barbeque if she doesn't have those, and the means to make her favourite comfort tea. Bring her a special cuddle blanket if there is room in the car. If she is largely incommunicado, approach all her other relatives and friends that you can reach and she cannot and get messages of love from them such as letters, and ten dollar Home Depot gift cards, if they can swing it. Sealable plastic pails can be useful for such things as disposing of rotten previously frozen food or sewage, or catching leaks, or bailing out the cellar. Bring something special for her dog. Make sure the dog has HIS medication.
Remember bugs can become a problem - mosquitoes from standing water.
Helping her build local community is good. So when you are there if you can get there, volunteer to hold the ladder for the people next door too. If she gave away all the food from her freezer and now has none, applaud her for doing so.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:07 AM on October 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Does she have a cooler, and ice? Where is the nearest ice available?
If your family and her friends chip in does that make it more reasonable to send down a sturdy person with ability to do repairs and drive a vehicle full of supplies? For example if you can afford to buy repair materials and pay for gas, and Joan can send her hatchback if Keith will drive her to work, and Ludlow can go down there to do the repairs in Joan's hatchback if you look after her cats, then you have a workable plan that might not be available without coordination.
Use pictures to get support. "This is my sister's house," shown to your church, with follow up of "This is my sister's house patched up with the repair materials you donated," will make people feel good about helping. And it will be fascinating to see the pictures later. Put them on facebook and try to get community help. People may want to help but not feel that donating to the red cross is personal enough, so try and get her friends/your friends involved and then show appreciation to the donors showing how their tangible resources helped. "Here is a picture of sister, home with the supplies she was able to purchase because of your gift card." and a picture of your sister taking a bunch of canned goods out of the car helps build community.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:20 AM on October 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
If your family and her friends chip in does that make it more reasonable to send down a sturdy person with ability to do repairs and drive a vehicle full of supplies? For example if you can afford to buy repair materials and pay for gas, and Joan can send her hatchback if Keith will drive her to work, and Ludlow can go down there to do the repairs in Joan's hatchback if you look after her cats, then you have a workable plan that might not be available without coordination.
Use pictures to get support. "This is my sister's house," shown to your church, with follow up of "This is my sister's house patched up with the repair materials you donated," will make people feel good about helping. And it will be fascinating to see the pictures later. Put them on facebook and try to get community help. People may want to help but not feel that donating to the red cross is personal enough, so try and get her friends/your friends involved and then show appreciation to the donors showing how their tangible resources helped. "Here is a picture of sister, home with the supplies she was able to purchase because of your gift card." and a picture of your sister taking a bunch of canned goods out of the car helps build community.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:20 AM on October 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
There is a road block, so see if you can make arrangements to get a vehicle with supplies through, or arrange for you sister to meet you at the road block and portage supplies through on foot.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:27 AM on October 12, 2018
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:27 AM on October 12, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:39 AM on October 12, 2018 [3 favorites]