[Angry Cow]

My cousin "A" came home to her apartment one day after picking her kids up from school to find the fire dept at her building. She had to talk them into letting her inside her apt. This was right after the big record setting cold snap in the US West. She lives in Reno. Turned out that a water pipe had burst from the cold and flooded three apartments, including hers!

Most of her possessions were ruined. She has two kids and is disabled with spine/neck pain, not the fake "back pain" that people use to get on SSI but REAL pain. She had kids before becoming disabled. Her husband drives a delivery van.

She and her family had literally nowhere to go. Her mom, my aunt, said they could move in with her...IF they followed her rules. At first they said no, and started sleeping in their car. After a week of sleeping in an SUV in a Nevada winter, and getting harassed by the cops, they broke down and said sure, we'll live with you.

So now my aunt "B" has five people in a small, older tract house, and A and her family is squashed into one room. They don't know if they'll ever rent another place, they live on very little money and had to patronize food banks every month to make it through the month. They were living hand to mouth before this. Are YOU prepared for a SHTF that just affects you?

 

[sqidd]

My cousin "A" came home to her apartment one day after picking her kids up from school to find the fire dept at her building. She had to talk them into letting her inside her apt. This was right after the big record setting cold snap in the US West. She lives in Reno. Turned out that a water pipe had burst from the cold and flooded three apartments, including hers!

Most of her possessions were ruined. She has two kids and is disabled with spine/neck pain, not the fake "back pain" that people use to get on SSI but REAL pain. She had kids before becoming disabled. Her husband drives a delivery van.

She and her family had literally nowhere to go. Her mom, my aunt, said they could move in with her...IF they followed her rules. At first they said no, and started sleeping in their car. After a week of sleeping in an SUV in a Nevada winter, and getting harassed by the cops, they broke down and said sure, we'll live with you.

So now my aunt "B" has five people in a small, older tract house, and A and her family is squashed into one room. They don't know if they'll ever rent another place, they live on very little money and had to patronize food banks every month to make it through the month. They were living hand to mouth before this. Are YOU prepared for a SHTF that just affects you?

In this case yes. My Mom lives 15min away in a 5000sq ft house.

I almost wish my house would burn down/get flooded.

 

[McGuyversurvivor]

sorry to hear of their distress, maybe they can find a place to live as caretakers ?

I am prepared , as a fireman I have seen this happen in house fires, tornadoes (yes we have them in NYS,,, one wiped out a condo complex ) , and floods,, trees crushing house in hurricanes etc..

We now have grown kids in the area to stay with,,but I have always had an older ,but good condition full size van with a change or 2 of clothing for each of us , outer wear, a quantity of food , etc, so we would have a place to sleep & keep warm & dry, if I ever lost the house suddenly

it has an electric heater wired to an outlet (inlet ?) on the body side so I can plug it in with an extension cord if someone would let me,, then we have heat , lights and even a small TV

vans like that get poor gas mileage, but we use it as a 2nd car for local short trips to get groceries etc

the extra cost of the fuel it uses on those 5 or 10 mile errands is imho a small price to pay to be "prepped"

 

[ATST]

Having been in a fire myself [ran out with only jeans and light jacket on - nothing underneath], plus later working 2 jobs, I always keep a change of clothes [inner and outer wear] suitable for the current weather in my car. Also have a couple blankets and a bit of non perisable food as well. I could be comfortable for a couple days, anyway.

 

[judyt00]

there are quite a few mobile homes for sale cheap in that area. I've been looking at mobiles for a winter home for the future, and lot rents are not too bad there. Maybe you and the rest of the family could raise the funds to buy her one and pay the first few months' lot rent. help them get on their feet a little

 

[comdot]

If it happened to me and my family:

I have another place to go to (BOL)
I have the resources saved (now) to get another place temporarily
I have some family, but would not put myself upon them
We both have jobs and can figure out an alternative (I can work anywhere)

If it happened to someone I know who came to me:

I have room (it would get interesting during bathroom time)
I have enough food and can get more
There's a very good school down the street for the kids
I've done this before and have the rules ready
I have plenty of things to do around the house to keep young and old busy enough to pay their room and board (work)

 

[Jojo]

Laws differ from state to state, so keep that in mind...
A member of our group lost his apt to fire in April of last year. Now, he had his bases covered, but the entire group used it as a learning tool.It also helps that my FIL is an attorney who specializes in insurance cases and was able to advise us.

By OK law, if you were a renter "in good standing" at the time you were forced out of your apt, the apt management company MUST offer you a comparable replacement within 48 hours. In some cases, if you are forced into a hotel for those 48 hours, expenses could be reimbursed. If there are no apts avail on the same property where the loss occurred, the management company may offer you one in another, even if it is in a possibly undesirable location. If you turn it down, you are on your own. They have fulfilled their duty. You should accept the 2nd locale (even temporarily and even if you don't want to stay there) because if the apt management does not offer you the first apt to become avail in the complex where the incident occurred, they can be sued.
Our member's apt burned on Friday afternoon. It was a 2 br apt and none were available. However, by Sunday evening, he was in a small one bedroom on the same property. To my knowledge they were able to accommodate all the residents who were effected by the fire, within the 48 hours, on the same property, if not necessarily in the same size apt. Our friend moved into his new 2br apt within 2 weeks.

OP - your friends should the leasing company and ask for restitution, then contact an attorney. If they cannot afford an attorney, they should contact the local Bar Association. They offer free consultations in hardship cases, something most people don't know.
I would also like to add when the apt burned 8 families were displaced. By sundown the manager of our local Hispanic market had set up a chow line in the parking lot. He put out boxes for material donations and a jar for cash. Both were overflowing by the time he left. I guess he is the one that divided up the $, our friend ended up with 135.00. He's single, I am sure families with children got more. It IS possible to have good neighbors in the city!

Afterthought - If your friends are having a hard time making it, maybe its time to consider public assistance. THIS is exactly the kind of situation that it was implemented for. Its not a hand out, its a a hand up. Consider it a loan to be paid back in the future, if in no other way, then by public service.

 

[Nomad 2nd]

Yes. I have this thing called "money"
As well as insurance.

 

[zaptain]

money

Yes. I have this thing called "money"
As well as insurance.

i have money aswell
instead of paying insurance for whatever personal tragady might happen I have 2k in an acc so when a personal shtf i have backup money and am not paying insurance fees every month.
had my mobile home stolen once with all in it and at the time had a gf 8 months pregnant.
so we went on the radio asking all listeners to look out for our house truck and at the same time did a big sad soap story .
then the salvation army called and said we could come to their warehouse and take what we needed We got everything you could possibly need for camping including a bungalow tent.
And we started to work and save for a new house on wheels. baby was born in the tent
btw whose pipe was it if it wasnt her pipes that broke and flooded the house shouldnt the culprits pay her damage or their insurance

 

[simpleman7923]

The husband might want to get a better job or a second job.maybe even move to where there's more jobs and cheap rent.

 

[Red*Lion]

Yes. I have this thing called "money"
As well as insurance.

I was about to say the same thing.

 

[johnboy87]

I went through almost exactly this. I had renters ins to cover most of what was ruined and the apt must relocate you to a comparable apt.

 

[maat]

Unfortunately, my MIL would love for us to stay with her. Under a worse case scenario, while we do have money to stay elsewhere, we could just stay at my shop. We also have two adult children, one of which I would stay at if necessary.

Concerning your cousin, it appears they were making it (with or without voluntary charities) before the water break. IMO, they should suck it up and stay with the family member till they get in a position to move out on their own. IMO, government assistance would do more damage than good.

 

[laylow]

This is really becoming a serious issue.People it only can take one thing on top of problems they might already have and bingo shtf.Money is not always there or parents and yes sometimes your friends when needed most.Some people need to be placed outside of there little world and see how others live.No im not talking about gov, sponges.There are lots of hard working people that are struggling.If you have money or huge house are you willing to help.Maybe there should be a jobs page to help others on this site!Dont me to offend anyone but there is alot of negative on responses here.People are really needing to stick together.

 

[fistfulladirt]

I was in that boat once. I told myself never again. I may sound cold-hearted, but look around. Many are living way beyond their means. I work with people earning six-figures and they are struggling...paycheck to paycheck and no amount of advice or help will change their mindset.

 

[maat]

Truth be known, it is likely these people have had opportunities and have made choices that have led them to where they are now. I'm willing to bet that most people(including some on this site), that live check to check, could make the changes necessary to become much less exposed to a normal SHTF issue. It is not that they do not have the resources, it is they lack personal responsibility(strong desire to meet needs before wants) or motivation(nanny state mentality) to do what needs to be done.

As far as I can see, this family has chosen, despite this emergency, to make it on their own with a little help from voluntary charity. They appear to have family support. I completely respect them for how they have chosen to handle this circumstance.

IMO, the lesson to be learned from this OP, is that SHTF happens in normal life. That it should be prepared for before preparing for less likely emergencies. Job-loss happens, water breaks happen, air conditioners break, cars breakdown, health issues occur, hurricanes happen. What can we do? What sacrifices should we make now to get prepared?

 

[Jojo]

The husband might want to get a better job or a second job.maybe even move to where there's more jobs and cheap rent.

I never understand why people suggest others move, when they can barely come up with money for rent or food to begin with. Not to mention, if they have friends and family in the area, leaving behind their support group.

 

[vicdotcom]

My cousin "A" came home to her apartment one day after picking her kids up from school to find the fire dept at her building. She had to talk them into letting her inside her apt. This was right after the big record setting cold snap in the US West. She lives in Reno. Turned out that a water pipe had burst from the cold and flooded three apartments, including hers!

Most of her possessions were ruined. She has two kids and is disabled with spine/neck pain, not the fake "back pain" that people use to get on SSI but REAL pain. She had kids before becoming disabled. Her husband drives a delivery van.
...

This is exactly why preparedness is so important. This will be the more common shtf type scenarios for people. This could happen to many people here. Renter's insurance would have helped. The "Gold, you can't eat it" crowd... well if they had some they could sell it now for a little extra money.

Something like this can happen to almost anyone.

Sorry to hear about your family. I hope they bounce back soon. This is one of the reasons why apartment living is a gamble. YOU may be responsible, but you never know when your upstairs/downstairs/next to neighbor starts a careless fire and you loose most everything also.

 

[Angry Cow]

Laws differ from state to state, so keep that in mind...
A member of our group lost his apt to fire in April of last year. Now, he had his bases covered, but the entire group used it as a learning tool.It also helps that my FIL is an attorney who specializes in insurance cases and was able to advise us.

By OK law, if you were a renter "in good standing" at the time you were forced out of your apt, the apt management company MUST offer you a comparable replacement within 48 hours. In some cases, if you are forced into a hotel for those 48 hours, expenses could be reimbursed. If there are no apts avail on the same property where the loss occurred, the management company may offer you one in another, even if it is in a possibly undesirable location. If you turn it down, you are on your own. They have fulfilled their duty. You should accept the 2nd locale (even temporarily and even if you don't want to stay there) because if the apt management does not offer you the first apt to become avail in the complex where the incident occurred, they can be sued.
Our member's apt burned on Friday afternoon. It was a 2 br apt and none were available. However, by Sunday evening, he was in a small one bedroom on the same property. To my knowledge they were able to accommodate all the residents who were effected by the fire, within the 48 hours, on the same property, if not necessarily in the same size apt. Our friend moved into his new 2br apt within 2 weeks.

OP - your friends should the leasing company and ask for restitution, then contact an attorney. If they cannot afford an attorney, they should contact the local Bar Association. They offer free consultations in hardship cases, something most people don't know.
I would also like to add when the apt burned 8 families were displaced. By sundown the manager of our local Hispanic market had set up a chow line in the parking lot. He put out boxes for material donations and a jar for cash. Both were overflowing by the time he left. I guess he is the one that divided up the $, our friend ended up with 135.00. He's single, I am sure families with children got more. It IS possible to have good neighbors in the city!

Afterthought - If your friends are having a hard time making it, maybe its time to consider public assistance. THIS is exactly the kind of situation that it was implemented for. Its not a hand out, its a a hand up. Consider it a loan to be paid back in the future, if in no other way, then by public service.

I asked my mom about that, and she said that the apt complex was 100% full. Keep in mind that Reno was financially devastated by the 2008 economic collapse, many people got foreclosed on, including my cousin, and were forced into apartments. Three families were more or less kicked out onto the street by this water line bursting. My aunt has tried to convince A that she should apply for SSDI, but A would rather have a job, yet the pain is so bad she can't make it through an interview. Her husband has some sort of issue with his shoulders, yet still works-apparently he's not lifting heavy items in this delivery job. On top of that, her son has Crohn syndrome.

 

[Jojo]

OP, I still think your friends should check with a lawyer. Even if the laws are different from OK, your friends might be able to find a new place. You never know until you ask. BTW - does Habitat for Humanity operate in your area? They have helped a lot of people around here, in similar situations.