Friend''s apartment wiped out by fire...what can I send her to help???

[neatfreak]

Does anyone have experience with this? Her entire apartment was wiped out and since she had just moved she didn't have renters insurance yet.

Any ideas about what to send her (via a friend) to help her out? I have no idea what she might even need...

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh my, how terrible! The first thing she should do is to check whether her old renter''s insurance still covers her. My insurance always followed me.

As for what to send, I would say a gift card for her to buy some t-shirts, underwear, that sort of thing. That would seem to me to be the most immediately urgent.

 

[Erin]

clothes you don''t wear? gift certificates to eat Subway?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/13/2008 12:00:26 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Oh my, how terrible! The first thing she should do is to check whether her old renter''s insurance still covers her. My insurance always followed me.


As for what to send, I would say a gift card for her to buy some t-shirts, underwear, that sort of thing. That would seem to me to be the most immediately urgent.

That is great to know. I''ll check that out...

 

[applequeen]

You can buy a "Visa" gift card (I think Wal-Mart and some drug stores carry them). You can load any amount you want onto it and then she could use it anywhere that takes Visa. That way she''s not limited in where she can shop or what she can buy. I''m sure she has so many needs right now that she hasn''t even grasped everything she is going to have to replace.

A family member lost her home to fire several years ago and one of the gifst she appreciated most (aside from the monetary) were gifts of copies of pictures and that sort of thing so you might condider going through your old photo albums and having copies made of pictures that might be meaningful for her.

 

[rockzilla]

Food, clothes, toiletries (or gift card for all of the above)

So sad that she didn''t have renter''s insurance yet =( I work with a ton of smart, financially savvy folks who don''t have it...and they haven''t just moved in, and I''m like "What are you thinking?" In my case, getting the renters'' insurance gave me 10% off my auto insurance...which netted out to only paying $50 a year for $25k of renter''s coverage!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/13/2008 12:19:18 PM
Author: applequeen
You can buy a ''Visa'' gift card (I think Wal-Mart and some drug stores carry them). You can load any amount you want onto it and then she could use it anywhere that takes Visa. That way she''s not limited in where she can shop or what she can buy. I''m sure she has so many needs right now that she hasn''t even grasped everything she is going to have to replace.


A family member lost her home to fire several years ago and one of the gifst she appreciated most (aside from the monetary) were gifts of copies of pictures and that sort of thing so you might condider going through your old photo albums and having copies made of pictures that might be meaningful for her.

That is a GREAT idea, we''ll make sure to put together something for her. Some friends and I are working through the Alumni network where we got our Masters degrees together to raise $ as well. I just sent her a Target gift card for now...I think that is probably what she needs the most is basics.

Ugh...I feel so horrible, I wish there was something else we could do for her.

 

[strmrdr]

Having a friend that went thru this a few years ago...
Cash and gift cards are whats needed most in the first month.
Then once they find a place, household goods and appliances, cookware and stuff.
outfitting a new apartment is a huge amount of $$ when starting from scratch even buying used.

 

[somethingshiny]

My parents had a housefire a few years ago. They were told to go to the Red Cross. They were immediately given basic toiletries, (shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, toothbrush, toothpaste, clothes from the Good will (they wrote down size info and presented them with a box of clothes a couple hours later), and a voucher to go to the Food Pantry (where they were able to get pantry items).

So, first, see if your friend can start at some place like this. She''ll be able to get a lot of her needs taken care of.

Following their fire, my parents received tons of clothes (mostly hand-me-downs, and I went out and bought bras and underwear)pots and pans (again hand-me-downs), a new set of dishes and silverware, new towels, and my mom''s friends loaded her up on "fun" bath stuff.

What would have been very handy (since they were staying with my grandparents) would have been some sort of Rubbermaid tubs or something to store some of their stuff in until they moved.

As long as it comes from the heart, any gift would be appreciated.

Good Luck to your friend.

 

[scarleta]

So sorry to hear that..In terms what to offer you have lots of good ideas already.You can suggest ( if that is possible) that your friend comes to stay with you for few days you can buy her a ticket.Offer her lots of love and let her know she can count on you..

 

[sap483]

Last year FI''s parents'' home burned down while they were out of town for our engagement party. As someone already mentioned, after most of the basic stuff was satisified and they had moved into a rental place the things they really missed were photos and other personal items they had lost. So immediately, she''ll be in need of clothing, food, toiletries, etc. but as time goes on, if you can help replace some of those momentos I''m sure it will mean a lot to her! Also- perhaps you can help her identify some legal resources for her to turn to.

 

[neatfreak]

Thanks everyone! We''re all sending her gift cards for now and then we''re going to go buy some new picture frames and put new photos in them for her new apartment. Hopefully that will help the healing process...luckily she has friends close by to stay with.

Does anyone know the legalities of the situation? I.e., if someone in her building started the fire are they liable for my friend''s losses?

 

[bee*]

gosh that''s awful! The same thing happened to my mothers best friend and definitely money, clothes and food were the first things that they required. Following that when they set up home again, photos were the things that they loved receiving the most.

 

[Gypsy]

Honey, I don''t know the legalities... it depends on the facts. I''d have her get in touch with a local lawyer... perhaps through your Alumni network though.

 

[Skippy123]

Oh no, I am sorry for your friend. You sound like such a caring friend. I would bake her some meals and get together some toiletries and snacks. Gosh, I hope insurance covers her; I am so sorry to hear about this.

 

[dragonfly411]

canned foods, meals that would last, tuna, any kind of kitchen utensils you no longer use, toiletries, towels you don''t use, wash clothes, hangers for clothes, candles, things like that. I had a friend whose entire house burned down. She was more grateful for the little things than even the clothes. I would recommend that if you have any t-shirts you dont wear, maybe take those.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/13/2008 1:37:31 PM
Author: neatfreak
Thanks everyone! We''re all sending her gift cards for now and then we''re going to go buy some new picture frames and put new photos in them for her new apartment. Hopefully that will help the healing process...luckily she has friends close by to stay with.

Does anyone know the legalities of the situation? I.e., if someone in her building started the fire are they liable for my friend''s losses?

only if its ruled arson in most states.
Fires are considered "acts of God" in most states(all?) for insurance and legal purpases.
And yes that is a legal term in all 50 states.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 3/13/2008 4:39:35 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 3/13/2008 1:37:31 PM
Author: neatfreak
Thanks everyone! We're all sending her gift cards for now and then we're going to go buy some new picture frames and put new photos in them for her new apartment. Hopefully that will help the healing process...luckily she has friends close by to stay with.

Does anyone know the legalities of the situation? I.e., if someone in her building started the fire are they liable for my friend's losses?

only if its ruled arson in most states.
Fires are considered 'acts of God' in most states(all?) for insurance and legal purpases.
And yes that is a legal term in all 50 states.

Wow, I can buy that if the fire was started by lightning or something, but not if the smoker in the apt. next door started a fire by leaving a cigarette burning!!!

I am so sorry for your friend, NF. I think the gift cards are perfect. I'd really recommend places like Goodwill for some household items. We got some really nice kitchen things super cheap for my daughter's new house!

 

[LitigatorChick]

I am in Canada, but my reaction is that there is a claim if the neighbour was negligent in starting the fire. Question is does neighbour have cash/insurance that covers. She should see a lawyer.

 

[monarch64]

I''m so sorry to hear about your friend, neatfreak. You''re a great friend for trying to help her out during this very tough time. I can''t think of anything that hasn''t been mentioned here...except maybe a new pillow and blanket (if that has been said already forgive me). I think if I were in the situation I would absolutely be grateful for a place to stay until I got on my feet again, but having a new pillow and blanket would be a small luxury that would make me feel a little better if it weren''t borrowed.

I wish your friend the best of luck in recovering from the loss of her belongings...keep us posted on how she''s doing.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 3/13/2008 3:41:39 PM
Author: dragonfly411
canned foods, meals that would last, tuna, any kind of kitchen utensils you no longer use, toiletries, towels you don''t use, wash clothes, hangers for clothes, candles, things like that. I had a friend whose entire house burned down. She was more grateful for the little things than even the clothes. I would recommend that if you have any t-shirts you dont wear, maybe take those.

I am in no way being critical here, I promise. But if I were a victim of a apt. or house fire, candles are the absolute last thing I would want to receive.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/13/2008 5:50:11 PM
Author: monarch64
I''m so sorry to hear about your friend, neatfreak. You''re a great friend for trying to help her out during this very tough time. I can''t think of anything that hasn''t been mentioned here...except maybe a new pillow and blanket (if that has been said already forgive me). I think if I were in the situation I would absolutely be grateful for a place to stay until I got on my feet again, but having a new pillow and blanket would be a small luxury that would make me feel a little better if it weren''t borrowed.


I wish your friend the best of luck in recovering from the loss of her belongings...keep us posted on how she''s doing.

Ohhh a nice pillow and blanket for her would be great. The thing is that she lives in DC and we live in WI. So we can''t really go over there to help, or offer her a place to stay, or food, etc.

We''re going to have a happy hour fundraiser next week for her through our alumni network...so hopefully that will help.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and I really appreciate the legal tidbits too! They will be helpful to her as she figures the situation out...

 

[AmberGretchen]

You''ve gotten some really wonderful suggestions - I especially liked the one about pictures she wouldn''t be able to replace otherwise.

Maybe also a funny book or a CD of favorite music - something to lift her spirits and distract her from the stress I''m sure she''s under right now.

 

[sera]

A friend I had lost contact had this happen to her. Years after it happened we got back in touch. Her church had helped her with the things mentioned in this thread (food, clothes, toiletries, etc). Since we had been childhood friends, I scanned some old photos from my photos and yearbooks and put a scrapbook together for her (and added little notes about memories I didn''t have pictures of). The material things eventually will be replaced... but those sentimental items, wow, that''s gotta hurt something awful. I''m so sorry for your friend.

 

[applequeen]

You mentioned that you all got your Master''s together.... did she lose her diploma in the fire? If so maybe your alumni group could look into getting her another copy... something to put on the wall of her new place once she finds it. Obviously the priority has to be given to making sure her essential needs are met (food, shelter, clothing, etc.) but replacing some of the other losses may be what helps keep her morale up as she recovers from this. She''s fortunate to have a network of friends who care so much about her.