Heya folks. Unfortunately I have a bit of bad news from my end. On Friday, April 19th my apartment building caught on fire. Thankfully no one was seriously harmed but I can't say the same for the things people owned. The fire started next door to us on the bottom floor and crept its way up. We were alerted to the blaze at 2am and had to flee. We couldn't catch our cat in time before the smoke became too heavy but we are very lucky we found her later, terrified but alive.
All four families, including ours, were displaced after the fire. Two apartments suffered intense damage while mine and the one below mine were spared the worst of it. However, the smoke damage was bad enough that it's deemed unfit to live in. We were only allowed in long enough to grab essentials and take a few pictures, but since then we've had to live in an extended stay hotel. Until the investigation into the cause of the fire is complete everything we own has to stay put.
Ironically, we were gearing up to move this upcoming Friday into a new place. We were in the process of packing but never got to finish. We'd planned our budget down to the dollar to afford the move but now we're stretched thin because of all of the unexpected expenses. While our renters insurance is meant to reimburse us for out of pocket costs we don't know how long that will take and our new place will be expecting upfront payment on the day of move-in, which has now been eaten into.
I've backspaced and rewritten this paragraph at least ten times. I'm not good at asking for help, in truth. I'm proud, stubborn, and I think I can fix everything. I can't fix this. We've never been in this situation before and uncertainty is my greatest enemy.
I understand everyone is under financial strain and if you aren't able to donate I'm entirely in your corner. If you are, a link to my ko-fi will be provided at the bottom of the post. A signal boost would be appreciated to help get the word out. All proceeds will go toward lodging, food, cleaning supplies, clothing and other expenses as a result of the fire. I greatly appreciate everyone and I hope this never happens again. I would love to have some positive news soon but for now all we can do is wait. Until then, thank you for your time and stay safe out there.
