Quote:
Originally Posted by GH85Carrera
I can't imagine losing all one's possessions, likely one's job if the business where they worked burned down, and still owing mortgage payments of the burned down house.
Who will pay to pick up all the debris, and sort through it for any remaining personal goods?
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Unfortunately I can. In December '77, the old farm house we were renting had a chimney failure. I detected the fire in the attic around 6 AM, woke my wife and called the owner, who called the local volunteer fire brigade.
It is funny how one's mind works ( or doesn't) in times of crisis. My wife grabbed clothes from the closet and dresser, threw them on the bed and we used the bedding to get those out to the barn across the road. I remember standing in the kitchen thinking 'we have to have things to eat' and grabbing flour and mixing bowls, ignoring the electric frying pan. All of my photography equipment was in the room where the chimney failed, years of negatives and prints. My wife got our cats into the car and moved it onto the road.
We got some furniture from the ground floor out when help arrived. The house was totally involved by 8.
Later that afternoon, looking through the ashes with the insurance adjuster, I came across a couple of small caliber rifles, the remains of my wife's electric typewriter and a mug. This was special, as it had been given to my wife by her best friend. It sits on a shelf in our kitchen as a reminder that things can be lost, but the love of a good friend stays.
We were lucky. The community rallied around us and we had insurance to allow us to replace many things. No loss of life.
My thoughts are with the tens of thousands who are struggling to know what to do next.
Best
Les