We are the Beaver Family (Aaron, Norene, Meaghan 16, Madyson 9 and Bryson 4) who in November of 2000 lost our home to a house fire. It started when an ember from the fireplace jumped and ignited some newspapers near it. Our 5 month old daughter was asleep 10 feet from where it started. I grabbed her and out of the house we ran with the clothing on our backs. It took everything - including our beautiful family cat, Oreo. We were underinsured and only given $80,000 to rebuild. It wasn't enough to rebuild much so we went with a company that mass produces inexpensive homes, but they do a nice job. We didn't have quite enough money for the entire build so we got a loan and did a lot of the work ourselves and spent the better part of the last 7 years finishing our house and making it a comfortable home. Two months before this last fire we painted the outside, installed can lighting throughout the house and did some decorative (faux) painting inside. It was finally starting to feel like home.
On December 3, 2007 a 100 year storm hit the Pacific Northwest. We have a small creek that runs into a natural pond behind our home that then runs through a culvert and eventually empties into a nearby lake. The culvert was blocked by debris (we called during the summer and asked public works to come clean it out which they did not) which allowed the pond to start to overflow. Within 10 minutes the water surrounded our home. My husband immediately grabbed a shovel and started hand digging at a berm we have in front of our property. It was a loosing battle though my husband never quit (that's who he is - he doesn't quit) - the water eventually made it's way into our crawlspace saturating our floor joists, insulation and various venting underneath the house. However, Aaron never quit - despite standing in three feet of swift running, freezing water for several hours he trudged on and eventually was able to break the berm free and the water started receding (MY HERO) - however the damage was done. FEMA came out immediately - the inspector was wonderful - however, all they gave us to make repairs was $1,600. Our lot was not considered a flood area - therefore we did not have flood insurance. We made the repairs on our own and they were completed around February of 2008.
On May 22nd of 2008, while driving to Walmart in Poulsbo my phone rang. Our neighbor said the fire department was at our house and that our house was on fire. I honestly thought she was joking. How can this happen TWICE? When I reached our house I saw the familiar scene - lots of fire trucks blocking the roadway and smoke billowing from our home. It was true - we had just suffered ANOTHER major house fire. Immediately I asked about my cats Millie and Mister - the firefighters unfortunately found them both - they had not made it. The fire had again taken everything - everything we had spent the last seven years replacing. Everything my children loved - their toys - their music - their pictures - their stuffed animals that made them feel secure at night - everything. I know - amazing to believe that it can happen once in a lifetime let alone TWICE. We are living it and still are finding it hard to believe. This time, however, we were left with a shell..........not such a good thing.
The insurance company did their bid on what they say it will cost to repair our home and put it back to it's original condition. They have told us they recommend we take the structure down to studs & tear out all the electrical and most of the plumbing. Once we got their bid, we started contacting contractors and getting real bids to do the repairs. Since the insurance company didn't like the bids we got they "hired" a contractor to give them a bid - a supposed "impartial" contractor. If they "hired" him, how can he be impartial? Of course, he low-balled his bid and they say they are only contracturally responsible for paying the lowest bid they receive. Once we realized the insurance company didn't give us enough money we started doing things ourselves. Aaron has been doing most of the demolition, all while still trying to work and keep money coming in. If that's not a HERO I don't know what is. Aaron and I emptied all the contents into dumpsters ourselves (boy was that emotionally draining, especially our kids rooms) and started tearing the walls, cabinetry and bathrooms apart. That is when we discovered every exterior wall of the home is covered with black mold. That seems to be our biggest obstacle right now. Especially since the builder says it's not their fault and has washed their hands of it - and no one can give me an exact reason why it molded. Some contractors believe it was the house wrap that caused the mold - others think it was sealed up wet when built - others say a bad design. But, we seem to have no way to prove any of it. We don't really know what to do now since the insurance won't cover the damage the mold has caused (The estimate to repair the mold damage is $34,000). A few of the contractors we have talked to say that between the damage the fire caused and the damage the mold has caused it would be better to tear what is left of the house down and start over. However, we don't have the money to do that either. We still don't know what caused the mold and are afraid it might come back if we just repair the structure as it stands. Assuming it really is structurally sound. We have also been led to believe that there could be structural damage to the roof trusses because of the intense heat and issues with foundation strength because of the previous flooding and the recent fire.
So here we sit - not enough money to make repairs, not enough money to tear it down and start over and not enough money to pay off our mortgage. Our current mortgage is keeping us from doing much of anything as well. If we don't get repairs completed within a year, our mortgage company could foreclose and not only will we loose the house we would loose the insurance money as well. We cannot refinance because there is nothing to refinance against. We cannot get a construction loan because of our current mortgage. We cannot just put the house back together because even though we could start, we would run out of money before we got half way through. We are running out of time as our insurance company will only pay temporary living expenses for so long.
In September 2008, Aaron started experiencing abdominal pain. To make a long story short, it turned out he had gallstones. He had surgery September 26th but continued to have pain. His surgeon explained it away as post-op pain. The pain continued for four weeks until it was too much. After a trip to the ER and a referral to a gastroenterologist it was discovered that the surgery was not completely done and gallstones were still in his bile duct. He had to have emergency surgery - developed pancreatitis and was admitted to the hospital. The surgeon admits he made wrong choices all the way around but that doesn't help us with the $30,000 worth of medical bills we have now. We have medical insurance for the kids, but not for my husband and I. On top of everything else, these have become another financial burden.
We have been asked several times now how come we continue to rebuild, continue to come back to the same property. Why after so much heartache that has been suffered on this property, why we continue to return. Why don’t we move and start over somewhere else? The answer is simply - it’s home. We love our neighborhood, we love our neighbors. Nothing is more comfortable than home, and this is it. It’s the only place our children have known as home.
Blessings to you and your family.
Aaron & Norene Beaver
A very humbled mother and father by all of this!"
"Out Of The Ashes" has officially been launched (follow link above). We have applied for 501(c)(3) status so that donations will be tax deductible. What a tremendous opportunity and blessing I feel I have been given. When I originally envisioned what this would look like I thought I would just offer support and advice to victims in the recovery process. Well, within days of launching the organization I have been receiving donations that will be distributed to families that I come in contact with. A care package of sorts will be assembled containing toiletries, gift cards, stuffed animals for the kids, and possibly clothing. Enough items to get them through at least the first night. I am contacting fire departments, chaplains, social organizations, the red cross, anyone I can think of so that I can be notified and be sort of a first responder. Please visit the website and let us know what you think. Spread the word!!!
We are launching another organization, however, it is in it's infancy and I haven't come up with a name yet. Some families were brought to my attention recently from several states around the country. These families were passed over by Extreme Makeover Home Edition but were still in need of help. I have been blessed to be currently working with twelve families and here is some information on how I am helping just a few: I was able to find assistance through local contractors, organizations and grants to give one family hot water and gas heat, something they haven't had for seven years, and working on securing donations for restoring their kitchen and bathroom that sustained severe water damage, another family is being given a grant to make much needed repairs to their home which they share with children with special needs and I am working on getting another family a ceiling lift that may be donated by CVS through a local non-profit organization and have been able to secure a wheelchair ramp for a family who has taken in a child with a spinal cord injury. I pray that the help doesn't stop there. That God will continue to guide me to families that need help and that I am guided to the organizations that can provide them help.
