Lost everything in a fire

[Diannea]

I contacted you via e-mail when this occurred and I am still currently looking for assistance. I can't even get any type assistance from FEMA, because I'm not in a Presidential Declaration area. This is a huge problem that needs to be addressed as soon as you can. I know that your time is valuable but a disabled individual cannot receive help during a crisis like this is unbelievable. This is absolutely wrong and needs attention if it wasn't for the love of my children during this time I believe I would of already passed on and gave up on life due to my terrible health. But I'm still fighting for us, because I know that this needs to be corrected and maybe the next family in my situation will not receive the treatment that I have from everyone that was supposed to give me a lending hand. Instead I'm being punished for something out my control. I'm already terminally ill at the age of 36 you would believe that was enough punishment enough. I did go through the steps that your office recommended me to do and got nowhere.
I called 211 for help and got told on the other end of the phone that to contact my local DHS that's the only option for Roscommon County. Then I called my local DHS office as I was told from your office and 211 and was turned down from all help. They turned me away onto the streets with nowhere to go and I'm on oxygen 24/7 and require a home health aide to assist me with my ADL'S (activities of daily living) that I also receive from there office, even food benefit help. So a volunteer took me to their office at the window I asked to talk to a supervisor and her to say that she could not help me. My home was a 100 percent loss not even the structure is left, I'm on disability social security and receive food benefits from them as well as Medicaid. I received my food benefits on the 9th went shopping for my home and lost everything on the 14th and they wouldn't replace my food benefits or give me a new EBT card that they get placed on, then after pleading with her she replaced my card with nothing on it after replying to me "you didn't grab your card" that's unheard of. The fireman said it was a miracle that we all got out unhurt that we did exactly what we were supposed to do.
As a family unit I am always happy in any home that I lived in. I always told my children on what to do when a disaster like this happens so me having that plan with my children and them not panicking and responding like they were supposed to do us all got out alive. So no I did not stop and grab anything. Not even clothes. I was in my house robe and ran out of the burning house. Below I did include everything that happened so you can refreshed your mind on my current situation. So now my local DHS has rejected my pleas for help at the window I had my HHA do a emergency assistance for help online, that Lansing department suggested me to do and said that they would have to help me at this time asking for food benefits to be put on my EBT card. My DHS worker of Roscommon County called me and told me at this time that she referring to her office will not assist me with food or anything else she added then hung up on me. So I called back and ask to speak to the program manager that's above the supervisor which at this time is quoted in the Houghton Lake Resorter (local newspaper) that this year that there is extra help out there for families in need especially, disabled people like me. I thought there was even more help that I had a natural disaster and seeking disaster assistance of any sort.
They responded by telling me that they don't have the authority to connect me to his answering service and hanging up. I call back. They connect me back to the worker and she tells me she doesn't have the authority to connect me to her boss and that she is only doing what her supervisor told her to do and yelling at me then hung up.
So then I e-mailed her boss. The reply I received was unforgettable as NO reply from him. I still received no help. The only thing that they have done to me was give me grief as though I already had enough. (Also down below I added a copy of the e-mail sent to him).
They sent CPS (child protective services) on my daughter for absolutely no reason at all, because I e-mailed their boss and asked him to assist me in getting assistance through his office. Which I haven't received. So Roscommon County calls there neighboring county Ogemaw, where volunteers are juggling me around, and my daughter and grandchild are temporary staying at the baby's dad's family's home safe. An Ogemaw County CPS worker came out and spoke with me and my daughter and my grandchild said that she didn't even understand herself why she had to do this call. The baby is healthy and well taken care of and in a safe environment and left. I couldn't believe that they would stoop to this level because they don't want to do their jobs and try to scare me away which they succeeded in doing and wouldn't have to help me in any way which is unheard of.
Even a local organization came out to try and help us but said she couldn't believe this was going on and could tell we were very good people who had a terrible thing happen to them and DHS had to help me. Then she called the worker every day for a week and she will not comply with her, will not respond to her calls and she can't help us without speaking to her.
The organization offers us assistance in some disaster recovery things, the organization is called NEMSCA and there is a worker trying to work with my family. She even replied that she was sorry for us, that she really didn't believe everything I was telling her until she received the same treatment.
I do not want any other family going through, what I had to go through this is completely awful. No one deserves this treatment at all. Now I'm a victim haven't myself and my family gone through enough pain and hardship for a thousand+ family's. Now I'm asking you to please tell me what you would do in my situation and begging you to please not to push me off to someone else who doesn't care about a good American Family or ignore my plea for help or try and find a way to scare me away in not asking for help.
I was lost when this happened to us and now I'm more lost and just can't believe that no one cares about a tragedy like this. When I get my life back together I would even begin to try and help individuals in this situation and even speak to your office in what trouble that I have ran into and still running into and what I believe some solutions might be so no one feels the pain and heartache that I have felt in the last times I have left in this world. Believe me you read about all types of disaster assistance for individuals and disabled individuals but there is none. If you find it on the internet, you don't know how to go about receiving that help especially disabled individuals.
Do you have any advice for me? Please I will listen, I will follow through I promise. I just want to be happy again to smile once again with my family and to be reunited with them in this world in a home before I die. Maybe I'll have enough time here on earth to write a book on what to do and what not to do in a natural disaster for an individual, especially disabled individuals and I mean it not just saying it. I'm a very loving person who cares about all American people no matter if there disabled or not.
God Bless You All, and I'm praying I find guidance to figure this out in time.
Please read below to follow what I have done to try to help myself plus a lot more. I'm not looking for trouble I'm only seeking help. Thank you for you precious to time and looking forward to speaking or writing you once again.
Here was the letter sent: I want to inform you individually how I'm being treated directly from your office. I've asked the front desk to put me through to your answering service and was denied the right to contact you to inform you of my situation as a disabled person who just had a terrible tragedy happen to myself and my family. Please Read Fully, and contact me at your earliest conscience.
I'm writing you this e-mail to specifically discuss with you one on one, since I've been denied any other access to you from your office including my DHS worker and the supervisor of her department. They have been wrongfully, compassionate to my situation and talk to me very vulgarly and rude. They actually raising their voices (showing very poor work ethics) for no reason at all. All I'm doing is trying to get help for myself and family that we truthfully deserve and being denied for any assistance that I honestly need. I am a physically and mentally disabled American who does have assist of living from your office, so that's documented as well. It is shown that I need 24/7 care and my daughter who resides with me and grandson. Assist me with living when my home health aide cannot, which he doesn't get paid enough to do any ways. So my A.P.S worker does know how chronically ill I am and has seen for herself that I need assistance with that alone.
In December on top of me already being disabled with diabetes, RSD crippling disease, and PTSD I got diagnosed with a lung disease and auto-immune disorder which made me live in a very stable, calm environment. I was told I had a limited time on my life that I am terminally ill at that time after one month in the hospital. I informed my adult worker of my situation and she came out and seen for herself that I am terminally ill and document it. A that time my family was devastated by that news alone. We were each other’s support group. We are a very close family at that time my son even came back home to help with me and to spend what time we have with each other together.
Now one month from that tragedy my house had a fire and completely burnt to the ground with our vehicles with it that were in the attached garage in my home. Now at this time my whole family, who I thank god for every day, made it out of the house with no shoes on and the clothes on our backs and from there is where I needed help from my local DHS office. Whose supposedly should be my number one resource has denied me.
When I spoke with the governor Rick Snyder he advised me to go to my local DHS and they would assist and guide me and make sure I'm taking care of and safe. Which has not happened and just the opposite is happening now. Exactly what has happen to me and my family since the night of the fire is below, in-detail with witnesses all along. My social worker said my civil rights have been broken. My disability act has been broken. From the first night we were all stuck in one room, with no access to any phone, access to no transportation and was given no guidance on what I was supposed to be doing and no assistance from anyone as well.
First at the super 8 motel were the Red cross. They put us all in one room as I said before in those conditions. At that time my whole family was disheveled, confused, upset, crying, and we all were suffering from disaster stress disorder which is very common after a natural disaster.
I my self was in complete shock, I couldn't process any kind of thought. I was absolutely in complete shock, which my doctor did diagnose me with disaster stress disorder on top of my PTSD I was a mess. Me being disabled alone it’s well documented it takes longer for us to comprehend the situation at hand and to try and do something about it. The Super 8 motel guy didn't even want us there making up excuses and making comments to us that he would be getting more money from the rooms we were in, if we wasn't there. That was adding stress at that time we should of been taken out of that situation and put in the motel down the road. It was the Beach front motel which I did stay in after this situation and they said that we were welcomed back anytime and the red cross does have an account there and the super 8 motel manager was a young guy who didn't understand how people who just went through a tragedy reacts and everyone reacts in different ways.
Yes, we were all upset as I mentioned before, and when the manager told Salvation Army who I contacted for help that he no longer wanted us there they should have immediately re-located us like I said. Instead the person from Salvation Army went and spoke with him who said he would prefer us not to be there because he didn't understand what was going on. She immediately talked with my home health aide who got me my oxygen or I wouldn't had that. She then asked him if I was over taken medication which offends me, because first of all I have never done that ever, second of all I didn't even have my medication that I required to live yet. I lost it all in the fire and was waiting for it to be replaced and my HHA immediately told her absolutely not, that I'm not that kind of person, that I was in shock suffering from DSD and was confused still and needed some more time to start comprehending the situation that's going on. She immediately wanted us to be placed into a shelter, which I could not be placed in one due to my health and illness. It would have been departmental to my health and couldn't take that assistance from her.
Then at that time they should of gave me another choice, but did not. Instead they called DHS and told them that I refocused assistance from her but didn't explain to her why. That under the disability act I didn't have to take that type of assistance knowing that staying in a shelter would of in-dangerd my life due to me having auto-immune and many other chronic illnesses.
At that time I had nowhere else to go and no guidance and no assistance. I had absolutely nothing. Everything I ever had was now gone. I called DHS and asked to speak to the supervisor since I already was scared to talk to my DHS worker due to her talking unprofessionally in the past. I thought it would be best at this time, in the crisis I was facing and told her I needed assistance with shelter and I needed my bridge card. I told her that it was burnt up and needed food assistance to be able to eat and she denied me that directly.
She replied no help with shelter because I didn't take their suggestion and no to my bridge card and to talk to my DHS worker on Monday and it was Friday. I explained to her in detail what was going on. That I was in a house fire, that everything I had was gone. I had no access to get food, I didn't even have any clothes and shoes. The Red Cross helped us get an outfit and pair of shoes. But the supervisor said no to my bridge card.
I could not believe she was treating me like this, especially under my circumstance and I really needed emergency help. Immediately I had a volunteer drive me up to the DHS office at this point. The volunteer couldn't even believe how I was being treated and being talked down to and being denied my bridge card. I had 45.00 of food still left on my bridge card I could of used. This is absoluteness wrong. How I was being treated.
Now it made me even more afraid of the people who are supposed to help me. I could not get from step A to step B because they have blocked all assistance to me, denied me all my emergency care and they are aware that I'm bouncing around from here and there being as ill as I am and still show me no compassion at all to me. So when a volunteer picked me up from the beach front motel, I had access to computer. I had my HHA fill-out the form for emergency food and she still denied me that right, knowing all the food I had got burnt up. As she was yelling and being volger to me I told her, begged her in-front of the volunteer that doesn't want to have to keep me much longer, to help me relocate and get into a house and help me with furniture or give me some type of voucher for that. Her absoluteness denied me any assistance any further at all. At this time she was bracing all of my rights as a American Disabled person, Civil Rights and much more one of the regulations implementing section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 at 45 c.f.are 84.4
I've been cooperative and very compassionate in asking your office for help in any shape or form and been denied all assistance. Instead she has called me back demanding me to give her an address that her and her supervise is aware of my home burning down and is aware that I'm bouncing from home to home with my oxygen machine and disabilities and much more. I hope I don't die waiting for some kind of assistance from the people who are supposed to be helping me out the most. And guiding me along the way.
When I told her I could not give her an address she was very mean to me and hung up on me. I replied that you and your supervisor are aware I'm totally disabled and homeless and will not, really refusing me assistance that I'm qualified to get and I don't have a permanent house. I need help with relocating. As you would help anyone else with.
Why are you doing this to me and my family? What have we done to you? At that time I called back 3 to 4 time's asking them to contact me through to your answering service and they denied me that right and they hung up on me. Then she calls back leaves on my phone that I have 15 more day's to give her an address or I'm cut off my medical and food benefits. While there aware of my circumstances 100%. So I read the newspaper, there you are stating there is help especially for the disabled. God I began to cry and now I'm asking you directly for help. Why I'm being denied assistance that everyone else is getting and I'm terminally ill and might not live through this if I don't get help relocating myself and family. Can you honestly explain to me why your office is being bias and discriminating me, what have I've done so wrong, then to be diagnosed with a terminal illness and have my home burn down? My daughter who's a single mother lives with me to assist me with my everyday activities.
This is the letter I sent to the program manager in Roscommon County local DHS office and still have not received and help from them. (Above)
My house just burnt to the ground tonight. There's nothing salvageable left. We have lost everything. It was a electricity fire that had reached my oxygen tanks/machine and at that time my home completely blew up, (like a bomb explosion) which was a 6 bedroom, 2 attached car garage, which had 2 vehicles in them at the time of the explosion, meaning that they also blew up in the fire. With everything else that was in there and pole barn that was attached as well. The only reason why I'm even mentioning how big my home was so you can understand about how much that me and my family has lost.
I worked very hard for what I had no one’s ever gave me anything or even helped me or my kids with anything. I've been on my own since I was 16 and took care of myself and my children. I worked very hard and always chose to make the right decision for my kids and myself. But now I'm unable to work, so for me this is a complete disaster, because I will never be able to replace anything. I will not have all my nice personal items as well as owning my own home. I'll never have enough money ever again to have what I had for my children and I and we was very thankful and appreciated everything we had. My children did as well because they knew what I went through to get where I was, and I did it for them so they would never be homeless and worry about where they were going to stay at for the night, like I had to.
I came from a very dis-functional home and I chose to do better by them and did succeed in doing just that, the cycle ended with me and now I have wonderful, smart and respectful kids. But it seems no matter of how good of a person/mom I was I always had it hard. Now I'm disabled and just got diagnosed with a terminal illness in December which that alone devastated my family then on top of this devastation this happen to us so yes we are disheveled but that is a Normal reaction to this but I've been fighting for my life ever since so I could still be with my children and grandchild. They still needed me and now more than ever.
Now I have lost everything I've ever worked for or had. We only have each other we don't have any extended family it's always just been us. I'm looking for any kind of help for myself and my family we only have the clothes on our backs. Please pass along any programs out there available for our disaster/hardship. As we are in serious need of any kind of assistance. On top of this I didn't have any house insurance. I lost it when I was hospitalized and required oxygen to return home to my family and I was going through a rough time at this point alone and made a mistake and didn't send in the payment, a human error. I was having a rough time at this point trying to breathe alone. So we suffered 2 tragedies very close to one another. I hope that there's someone out there who believes in a miracle because we're looking for one at this point. NO ONE IS EVEN OFFERING US ANY HELP!? NO PROGRAMS OR ORGANIZATIONS ARE HELPING US; I KNOW WE HAVE TO QUALIFY FOR SOME TYPE OF DISASTER RECOVERY HELP.
I read about other families getting new homes, new vehicles, and things replaced that they lost, my family gets nothing but a sorry if we even got that. Not even some cash assistance to get some new clothes and shoes and under garments. So we have got nothing, I thought at least we could receive some donations but not even that.
Even the hotel guy made remarks to us from Super 8 that he would be getting more money for the rooms we are in if we weren't there. So we should have been removed and put in the motel down the road the Beachfront because we stayed there one night after this and they said we were welcomed back that we are good people and the last thing we needed to be hearing was the motel employee making comments to us. That should have been the very first thing done, but it wasn't after that point we became homeless. Then I can begin on my next steps that I have to do. I cannot think of anything. I'm in a constant panic of where I'm going to be warm at night and safe first.
I greatly appreciated any kind of help from anyone. Owning our family home is the only thing we had going for us it gave us some kind of security for my children and grandchild. At this time we are looking for any kind of PROGRAM or GRANT that we should qualify for under our disaster tragedy. Yu would think that something is out there made for families like mine not just left alone with no help and no one willing to help us. Even me being disabled and having a life crisis, disaster tragedy happening to me and my children there gas to be something out there for us. I would never ask for help on the past.
Well I'm begging now for it and for my family. It doesn't have to be like it was that I worked hard for but done kind of help Please EMAIL ME BACK ASAP and guide me or show me where to go what to do next. Everyone says after a disaster that I shouldn't even be worried about a place to stay but yes you do when there's no help for you. Due to my health (many chronic illnesses) lung cancer, diabetic, auto- immune and suffering PTSD disaster stress, it would be departmental to me to stay in any shelter or public housing. I’m lost to what I should do at this point.
I was advised that due to my health that some programs/organizations should recognize this and handle my case differently under the disability act and I should always be safe. But we are not and I don't understand why. I know it'll never be the same but my whole life savings and all my sentimental items were in that home. I was so proud of myself when I purchased it. Now I’m praying for the strength just to get out of bed and help my family.
We were on the 9 and 10 news when it happened but that didn't do us any good. I'll do anything to get my family back on our feet before it was hard for me to even ask for help now I'm begging for help. I need to keep all of us safe and warm. My family and I are in serious need of any kind of assistance. We need any type of guidance that we are entitled to receive, but never got. We haven't even got advised on what we are supposed to do next. What are next steps should have been.
My family has been put in this hotel by Red Cross and left us there with us not knowing what to do next on how to get any help/vouchers/programs/grants/ assistance of any sort. It would be gratefully appreciated. That I know I should qualify for since I have many different chronic illnesses and mentally disabled and do require a caregiver to care for me for my ADL'S 24/7. Everything that had been done do far I've done on my own, which really means a lot knowing I'm terminally ill and don't have much time left here on earth and the time I do have left I would love to spend with my family and my first grand baby which I love very much. That love for my family is what's keeping me alive through this, because really I'm doing the impossible, I should be in heaven right now. It is sad but very true, and I'm spending my last days here fighting for help for my family. The people who run these disaster relief/recovery programs should be the ones helping a family like mine out.
We are good easy going people and very appreciative on anything we can get. I read everywhere in the internet about families getting help from disasters, getting grants for new homes, getting financial help, even getting vehicles, just general recovery on what they have lost. I don't understand why I'm getting no help. My family is all alone on this. As an American citizen being an American family we should all join together and help one another out in a crisis like this. Anyone that can guide me I will do the rest on my own as I am now and have been. I just need to know what to fill out, and how to get the correct funding help. I read everywhere that families get disaster relief/recovery help with relocating/housing to get us back together cut we had to be separated due to all this. So if you’re out there please help me out in this tragedy.
I've read every available website out there; even the disaster recovery ones, emailed anyone and everyone I could and still nothing. PLEASE give me any type of advice to get myself and my family off the streets and into a home. So I can have what many would want, which is to have a home and be together with my family especially in my final days here. I don't even know how to start a donation fund to get into a new home.
This is not a made up story either, a very tragic one but not a fake one. There's still a mailbox there that's the only thing left there standing. But now I get my mail Prescott, MI 48756. It is the volunteer’s home that's letting me stay on her porch temporarily. I'm grateful for that. God Bless us all, and please appreciate all you have no matter how big or small it is because in a blink of an eye it could be gone!? Then you'll be lost like me and my family.
I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy that's how bad it really truly is. Thank you for your precious time. On top of all this confusion and being just lost I just wanted to be in a new home with my family before I die. When this happened I promised them that mommy would make everything OK again. I promised them.
They also have lost everything as well even my grandson including all of our memories. That home gave us all security to know we would never be homeless and apart as we are now. When I could work I work 2-3 jobs at a time to provide my children a nice home and nice things and I did it alone, it was always just me and my children and I loved it and would do it again, but unfortunately I don't have enough time left to rebuild that life again and what happened was a complete accident.
The fire department said it was an electrical fire that reached my oxygen and exploded my home line a bomb if we didn't react the way we did we wouldn't of made it out alive. All of our things and memories are gone like it never existed. It’s all disintegrated into ashes and there is nothing left there at all. Only in our hearts, and I promised them we would have a nice home again with nice things if it was the last thing I did for them to make new memories in. I was just hoping I was still alive to enjoy it with them, so yes this is extremely important to me to finish this task and to see my family happy again before I leave this world and go on to the next. From one Loving Mother/Parent to the next.

[Admin]

Often times the Salvation Army offers help for people impacted by a fire. They can also partner with other groups such as the American Red cross. This will normally be called their disaster service, and the amount of assistance provided can be extensive. So it sounds like you are contacting the wrong people as social services does not need to help. They are under no obligation to assist anyone. Anyway, the Salvation Army may have motel vouchers or items for your household. Find more details on the Salvation Army disaster relief programs.

[Flutie]

I was in the Fitch Texas fire. Lost my job and have a 5 month baby and fiancé. I have had a difficult time catching up. My rent is 3 months behind. My heater is broke in house but feel I can't say anything since my rent has not been paid. Behind 2 months on my car payment and have no insurance on it. It seems the more I try to work and support my family I just don't have enough money. I am not sure if anyone could help me or not. We have no propane due to heater broke. So we also have no hot water. Thank you for your time.

[Admin]

Sounds like you lost everything. If so, that is very difficult to rebuild from unless you had insurance? Did you? If not, then you may need to resort to contacting charities, thrift stores, and the like. There are several try try that may offer you free items to rebuild after the fire. Everything from furniture to clothes, information on heaters, food, and more. Find them here. http://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html ... stuff.html

I was in the Fitch Texas fire. Lost my job and have a 5 month baby and fiancé. I have had a difficult time catching up. I am not sure if anyone could help me or not. We have no propane due to heater broke. So we also have no hot water. Thank you for your time.

[Puebloa]

My needs is to fine an apartment in San Francisco that is safe, after being evicted after 26 years as the long term tenant. Homeless since 9/5/14. Hotel vouchers would be great since I am a senior of 62 years. I am presently using my SSA amount for hotels, motels, Inns, Suite, and Lodges to keep healthy and safe from intruders as this did happen at my former placed. Direct me to proper resources for assistant in reentering the housing.

[Waffletaco]

My husband, my 13 year old daughter, and I lost everything in a home fire. My husband and I were currently not working but seeking full time employment. Our vehicle is also on its last leg... I need help from somewhere if it is possible. Also just got out of the hospital with staph infection. Please send any information that can help my family get back on their feet.

[Crow]

I and my husband lost our home to a fire the day after Thanksgiving. We received help from Red Cross and a gofundme account but we are now out of funds. We have no place to live and left with no options.
We can't get a small apartment to live in because we have no money for a deposit. We lost most of our items to the fire or water and smoke. Please help us. We had someone help us by using the travel miles on a room but they are out and we will be back to staying in our vehicle. We have about $2 left to our name.