Elizabeth

XU 2017 The quietest people have the loudest minds

[Jennifer McCormick @mccormickforgov]

Well done, Indiana Senate! 👏

[Nate Postlethwait @nate_postlethwt]

Instead of asking the survivor of horrific trauma if they’ve forgiven their abuser, ask the abuser how they can continue living with themselves after altering a persons life through violence. If you think this post is about forgiveness, you’ve missed the point.

[James Martin, SJ @JamesMartinSJ]

Laughing in front of cages designed to hold migrants and refugees, many of whom came to this country fleeing extreme violence and poverty, and hoping to raise their children in a more compassionate country. And many of whom followed all the legal procedures to enter the country. And remember, 93% have no record of any violent crimes. This facility, then, is comparable to the internment camps for Japanese Americans during the Second World War. But let's call it what it is: a concentration camp. Jesus wept.

[Elizabeth @ehartsock95]

.@realDonaldTrump @realDonaldTrump: Keep America welcoming. Refugee resettlement is a proud American legacy with bipartisan support #RefugeesWelcome.

[Elizabeth @ehartsock95]

When is slavery acceptable? NEVER.

I know you agree @JeffersonShreve @Jim_Banks @sentoddyoung. Support the Abolition Amendment, HJR 72/SJR 33, to #EndTheException in the 13th Amendment and abolish slavery, for all.

No slavery. No Exceptions. https://t.co/Ogr3CiypB8

[Sheryl @kszimmerer4]

Questions for your insurance adjuster:
-If the cost to replace is higher than the dwelling coverage is there an escalation/replacement clause? If so how much?
-Do we have debris removal coverage. If so how much?
-Do we have contaminant coverage, like asbestos? If so how much?
-Do we have code upgrade coverage? If so how much?
-Do we have coverage for landscape & fencing? If so how much?
-Do we have ancillary building coverage? If so how much?
-Is there any difference in coverage if we build back but with a slightly different design?
-Do we have any other coverages that haven't been mentioned yet?

[Sheryl @kszimmerer4]

Let FEMA do round one of hazardous debris removal since that is costly but if you have insurance for debris removal (and you don't have asbestos), I recommend you get moving to get the rest done without FEMA. It will get you rebuilding much quicker. If you have asbestos, that will be expensive to clean up so it would probably be better to wait for FEMA.
***Once those things above are situated, you can turn off utilities, contact elections offices to send ballots, fill out tax assessor forms, try to get vital records and do all the millions of other things that you will need to do while searching for a place to call home.
***************************************************
For those of you nearby who haven’t lost your house, here’s some things to know to be better prepared than I was in the future.
*Make a list of what you need to grab if you have 10 minutes. I grabbed almost all the wrong things (dog toys, leashes) and not most of the precious items that made up the memories of our history. Trust me when I say your brain doesn’t work logically when this happens.
*Don’t rely on a fire safe. They’re only rated for a certain temperature for a period of time. It’s meant for a normal house fire, not a catastrophic wildfire. The temperature because of the sheer numbers of things burning makes the fire safe usually fail. It’s not worth the gamble to rely that those important documents will still be there. We had a fire safe inside a fire safe and it was all dust.
*Get a list of your neighbors’ phone numbers. I didn’t know my neighbor couldn’t make it home. I was incredibly devastated to know I drove right past her house when I could’ve found a way to grab her dog.
*Register products. Some companies replace or give discounts if they know the situation and you can prove you purchased from them before.
*Know your insurance coverage and ask a lot of questions. See below. We found out we were underinsured but thankfully, at least, insured. Ask questions about debris removal, personal property, dwelling coverage, and length of time of the additional living expenses. Get specific. Ask questions. Insurance agents are trying to help but can't give you more than you signed up for once an event happens. It's on you to understand your coverage.
*Video not only your house contents but relatives, too. My in-laws also lost their home in the same fire. My mother-in-law with dementia doesn’t remember what she had.
*The fires are a community event that not only affected those who lost homes but the whole community, including those who are housing others, first responders, and those who must live around the devastation. It’s probably the educator in me, but I think it’s important for people to drive through it to understand. I just ask that you give it a little time and don’t take anything from anyone’s site or take pictures or videos of people grieving. We had people stop and take pictures of us sifting through our house.
*The kindness of this community will help people heal in ways we will never be able to explain. Please reach out with whatever you can however try to verify, as much as possible, that someone truly is a fire survivor (most didn’t want to be called victims) because unfortunately events like this bring out scammers too.
Lastly, I also can’t thank the firefighters and police officers for their sacrifice. They are forever my heroes. They ran toward the place that I ran from.
As for my family, we are back home in a rebuilt house on the same land. This photo below is of my daughter at our house. We are okay but it forever changed who we are. If you lost your home and I can help you, please reach out.

[Sheryl @kszimmerer4]

Please send this to your brother.
I'm so very sorry for your horrible loss. I lost my home (along with approx. 3500 other homes) in the September 2020 Almeda Fire and offer this help, and any other help, that I can give.
For those of you who lost your home:
*Get a notebook to start making lists of to dos, phones numbers, policy numbers and other things like this list. Your brain is going lots of directions and it will help you start to get on the right track.
*Call your insurance company immediately to get a claim going. Get them to send you emergency Loss of Use funding to cover you over the next few days. They can usually get an initial amount to you within a day.
*Call your mortgage company to put your payment on hold.
*Get a mailing company mailbox like UPS or FedEx. They went quickly after the fire, but these companies can take all deliveries, not just mail. It’s a horrible feeling to not know where to send the things that will help you put your life back together.
*Allow a friend or family member to put together an Amazon wish list for you to send to people who ask.
*Get a storage unit immediately. These went fast. We lived in seven locations in three weeks. People offered us furniture and other things that we needed once we found a stable place.
*Go with the insurance adjuster to your site and make sure they understand completely what was there. Ours came from out of state, and we didn’t go, so he put rebuilding our house at only $130 a square foot (comically below Rogue Valley averages). Help them understand if you can how much it will cost to rebuild. If they do come in low, get a competing bid and fight them for every penny.
*Your insurance has many “buckets” including personal property, debris removal, landscape, dwelling, other, and so much more. Ask them for a list of all your buckets and coverage amounts. My buckets were loss of use, personal property, landscaping, structure, driveway, debris removal, other structures, and code upgrade. The questions for your insurance company are at the end of this post. You’ll need this as you try to get your coverage amounts paid out. Some insurance companies were better than others for paying out claims easily.
*Reach out to the Red Cross, FEMA, and other agencies that help fire survivors. Helping Hands International sifted my house last and found small treasures that I’ll be forever grateful for. They also grieved with us. When I tried sifting on my own, I cut myself and needed a tetanus shot. There are so many entities willing to help. Don’t hesitate to ask for it.
* Don’t hesitate to ask the companies that you bought things from if they will replace or give you a discount on replacing items. It reminds me of the importance of registering my products. My daughters reached out to several and I was shocked what they sent. One incredible company sent us a whole grill and everything that went with it. Also, stores in the area gave us incredible, sacrificial discounts.
*The decision to buy or rebuild is a hard one. We chose to rebuild after we realized our mortgage didn’t go away after a fire. If you have 12 years left on your house, you still have 12 years and eventually have a new house. If you buy after a wildfire, demand and prices are high (Almeda Fire lost 3500 homes). While building was really hard, we were better off financially. For some people, buying and getting settled quickly is worth the extra cost.
* If you have insurance, go forward with Debris Removal even though FEMA is willing to do it for "free." You have no control what they take or leave behind like your driveway and you sign away your insurance proceeds for debris removal if you use FEMA. If you need to move your driveway, then your insurance proceeds are gone and you still have debris to remove. Lastly, it takes time (up to a year) that you don't have since building costs go up. 🧵 1 of 3

[Holly Stallcup @HollyStallcup]

I appreciate Christians voting to potentially take away the chance to find new treatments for my Dad's terminal disease. Super pro-life.

[Shannon Dingle, M.A.Ed. @ShannonDingle]

Y’all, I’m scared.

We are nearly out of money.

I still don’t have a job. Credit cards are maxed out at this point. Just approved for food stamps. I keep making it to the final interviews for jobs and then not getting it.

I hate needing help but we do.

https://t.co/lNuD9B60Te

[Hank Green @hankgreen]

I’m no single-issue voter, but somehow I always end up voting against this…

[Shannon Dingle, M.A.Ed. @ShannonDingle]

My job was eliminated on Friday, no severance. I have 3 job interviews this week, so 🙏🏻🤞🏻.

This is so incredibly scary, as a single mom of 6 kids, with one in inpatient for anorexia… and now I’m unemployed.

Please share this, and give if you are able.

https://t.co/VVGqgCR3EZ

[Shannon Dingle, M.A.Ed. @ShannonDingle]

Today I lost my job.

I have some interviews next week, but I don’t know how to get through this stretch.

Please, share this, and donate if you can

https://t.co/VXmdDXJTzZ

[Cora Harrington @CoraCHarrington]

@porcelainstreet One of the things I like about my friend group is we’re okay with delayed replies

[Monisha Rajesh @monisha_rajesh]

There are no trans women competing at the Olympics, but there IS a man convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl: glad to see the terfs are all about protecting women.

[emily may @emilykmay]

interesting watching everyone learn that chromosomes aren't as cut and dry as they thought.

[Caroline @carolinekwan]

Michael Phelps is literally referred to as a freak of nature because of his disproportionate wingspan, double jointed ankles, lung capacity twice that of an average human, body that produces half the lactic acid of a typical athlete, and he is rightly celebrated for being the greatest male swimmer in history. Meanwhile, female athletes with genetic differences are legally discriminated against and harassed to no end. This is not about “protecting women in sports” - this is about protecting a very specific idea of what a woman is.

[anna🦭 @tabinoflover]

trump saying he doesn’t want pronouns after an interview tells him kamala has she/her in her bio and the interviewer responding with “so you’re fluid” is the funniest fucking thing i’ve ever heard