Our front lawn with debris and contents from the house

Thank you very, very much. Anything you can donate will be put to very good use, helping to rebuild more than just my mother's home, but her life as well.

Our house has been given a yellow sign from the FEMA inspectors, which means 'enter at your own risk'. Regardless, my three brothers and other volunteers very quickly had to get to work demolishing the first floor in order to discover the extent of the rot and damage to the foundation and structural walls. Having gutted the house, it is now unclear if the damage can be repaired at all, yet it is also clear that if it can be it will cost multiple tens of thousands of dollars to do so. Even with support from immediate friends and family, my mom cannot afford to undertake this task alone. And, while there are modest funds coming from FEMA, they are insufficient and will only cover the bare minimum. It may be my mother needs to find a new home all together, but this will of course cost much more, and will take time.

In addition to the fundamental repairs (plumbing, electrical, flooring, walls, hot water heater, etc) there is a long list of basic necessities required for a functional home, such as:

• Kitchen (stove, refrigerator, cabinets, sink, worktop, table, chairs, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, utensils, toaster, coffee maker, blender, etc)
• Living furniture, beds and bedding, washer, dryer
  
• Basic clothing, childrens' toys
• Basic lighting, small appliances

We have now gotten creative about fund-raising (we even applied for 'Extreme Makeover - Home Addition!), hence this website. However, unfortunately (and somewhat predictably) it does not appear possible to register one family's cause as a Non-Profit to accept tax-deductable donations.

Therefore, Paypal (USA) and direct debit (UK) appear to be the best solution for accepting donations. For those of you who know me, I hope you can trust me when I swear in no way will these funds be used for anything other then repair of our family home, securing of alternative shelter in the event repair is not possible, or the purchase of basic necessities. A great and MUCH needed alternative is Giftcards for Home Depot (USA), which ship for free.

A big thank you and acknowledgement for all who have supported and as soon as it looks like we are coming through the other side I promise I will be back in touch to provide a full account and share lots of happy photos, too.

• For Paypal (USA) click here (email to celestial-one_saasha@gsb.stanford.edu)
• For Direct Debit (UK) (sort code 40-05-20, account number 51504010)
• For Home Depot giftcards click here (USA) (ship to Sun Greenhaw at 855 Camburn Ct. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52403)

With gratitude, Saasha Celestial-One and Family

(Even if you don't donate, thank you for reading and please forward to anyone you know who may be interested in helping. Thank you!)

A random boat stuck on our garage & fence

Enter at your own risk

Our living room and downstairs bedrooms

Our old bathroom

Our old kitchen

Record flooding this month ravaged thousands of Iowa homes, leaving behind mud and debris. Most of the houses affected are decades old, and many are owned by people of modest means who did not have flood insurance.

The largest number, by far, are in Cedar Rapids, where the Cedar River shattered old flood records and poured through the city's downtown and its oldest neighborhoods.

As recovery efforts continue, inspectors are finding that some of those houses have collapsed foundations or other fatal damage. Others have significant damage that is, in theory, fixable, but their owners would have to come up with tens of thousands of dollars."

USA Today (June 30, 2008)

"In the 1,058 inspections of residential property Wednesday, 38 had green signs (safe for occupancy); 902 had yellow signs (limited entry, enter at your own risk); 110 had red signs (unsafe); and eight had purple/blue signs (unsafe and in need of demolition).

Thatcher said he still suspected that only a few of the red or purple/blue properties could be saved. Beyond that, he repeated that perhaps half the yellow ones likely would not survive because of the extent of damage and the owners' inability to afford to rebuild.

The Cedar Rapids City Assessor's Office on Monday put the number of residential properties hit by the flood at 3,894."

The Cedar Rapids Gazette (June 24, 2008)