im sorry this happened, but people need to stop asking people for donations and start being proactive. if hes asking for donations, i can only assume that he didnt have homeowners insurance that covered this, or insurance at all. hes lived in the house for 6 months. if he was renting, he shouldve had renters insurance. this is all just common sense. i'm sick of seeing these stories. thankfully theres only a few people who are like "i have nothing left, give me money. i deserve donations." the rest of them are working it out themselves.

Rock,

Homeowners insurance does not cover losses caused by flood water. Flood insurance has a maxiumum coverage amount of $250,000 on residential dwellings per FEMA standards. Thus, even if the remains of this structure were to be demolished, and he were to rebuild, he still would come up short, and would need to pay out of pocket.

Renters insurance does not apply since renters insurance does not cover a dwelling...only personal liability and contents.

The rest are working it out themselves? Well as you can see, the rest of "us" are obviously in the same boat due to flood policy coverage limits of $250K (total home losses that is).

Get some knowledge before foaming at the mouth.

Shadow..............You donated to the Red Cross? Are you aware that 90% of the donations go for administration and the CEO makes almost a million dollars annually. Your money may be well spent in other areas!

It's always sad to lose a part of history but rebuilding this house wouldn't make it historical anymore but a replica of sort. If this was caused by flood rebuilding may include raising the house above the minimum flood elevation.

We never get the whole story. Most people have different insurances to cover flood, rebuilding, temporary living expenses, etc. If they failed to purchase any of these then they had better get the tin cup out, a big one.

1.3

and

1.

We should all take the time for Due Diligence on ALL Charity donations

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3277

AQ-3307763 - thanks for the insight, i have an insurance license :)

the house is 160 years old and did not belong to him. renters insurance would've covered all his possessions. the house was clearly already paid off since it's been in his family for generations.

Actually, in situations like this, even assuming he has all the insurance you are supposed to have, it will be nearly worthless. The insurance companies are pulling the same stunts they did after Katrina.

His Homeowners' Insurance will claim the damage was from flooding, and thus not covered. His Flood Insurance will claim the damage was from wind, and thus not covered. And in the end, nothing is covered, despite having paid for multiple insurance policies to cover every possibility.

Just like the homeowners trying to recover after Katrina, he will be lucky to get even a fraction of the insurance money his policies were supposed to cover.

I stopped giving to the Red Cross when I found out so little of my money actually reaches victims! I prefer to give to the Salvation Army (in which a very high percentage goes to the victims) and local charities that have shown they're more about helping others than paying hefty wages to management. Habitat for Humanity and Opportunity Village in So. Nevada are my local favorite charities!

You are, of course, absolutely correct. Of course the home could be repaired in place but to even consider "repairing" it is just plain stupid. And they have the audacity to ask for money/donations to do this?! I feel for all these people who've lost their homes, but please let's have some common sense. Is that too much to ask? (apparently it is)

My house is over 120 years old. I didn't buy it as an ego stroke but because I got it at a good price. This old house stood up to Sandy as she has to many storms of the past. Outside of the basement which got about 7ft. of sea water in it and the 1-2 feet of sand piled around the yard, the house had very little damage. They don't build them like they used to.

How much energy do you use? It isn't cheap when you pay for the maintenance, and lose heat all over the place.

There are plenty of well built modern homes set up with 12 volt lighting, super insulation and even solar panels.

Large houses and old houses waste resources. Old large houses waste even more.

I used to run a $210/month (avg) electric bill. Now I run $90 on the most expensive and $40 on average.

I've always lived in old houses. They have personality, unlike the sterility of most modern houses. You know what JOregon, one can actually reinsulate older houses. What a concept huh? Who woulda thunk it? By the way my eletric bill averages under $60/month and we live in a rural area with expensive electricity!

Please. Go climb a tree and sing kumbaya. These storms are not caused by a carbon footprint. Weather is a cyclical event. Did you know that just 10 or 15 years ago they were calling for another ice age??? They called it Global Cooling. Funny how you can change science to suit your needs. I guess if we just all hold our breaths the atmosphere will improve?! Get real.

I feel sorry for these people. They have lost their home and all their possessions and you are worried about their carbon footprint. I hope they get the help they need whether it is to repair this beautiful old home or to rebuild.

No the planet is getting warmer.

Somebody has been listening to too many deniers out there.

I am 60 years old. I remember 10-15 years ago quite well, it was getting warmer then too.

Since I still live in the same area I was born in I remember the weather of the 50's and 60's also.

There are fluctuations but it is getting progressively warmer.

People grow palm trees around here now, back in the 70's that would have been impossible.

I remember going over the mountain passes and the snow was a wall obove the car on each side, now you're lucky to get a foot or two.

I have talked to the old timers that remember when the river froze.

It isn't just personal experience though, scientists have the readings and data that says clearly the earth is getting warmer.

There are places in Italy and France that are now desert where they were once fertile. The Sahara has crossed over the Mediterranean.

When you look into the people that say the earth isn't warming you might want to check out who they get money from. When there are big lies check the money trail.

My old house had plaster walls too. I also mostly used a wood stove for heating. Still it was bigger than I needed and used a lot energy. Nice thing about Western Oregon is we have a very temperate climate. Never gets very hot (for long) never gets very cold (for long). Still, the energy wasted was too much.

Now I live along the River and that really helps keep things cool in the summer.

These people are wanting to rebuild a 150 year old house. When they rebuild it, it won't be 150 years old, but will have the same problems of a 150 year old house.

My suggestion is to build smart instead of building for ego. As an added bonus many homes built for energy conservation are actually really nice homes.

Last Spring I was at a new home that had solar, 12 volt lighting, 2 bedrooms, an office, living, dining, large kitchen, wide doors with flat thresholds (they were older thinking of the future) one level, and the projected utility cost was $45. It was a stunning home.

Very Christian response Reverand.

Not a Reverend or a believer in fairy tales - just one of thousands of drought stricken farmers losing everything too but in a different way.

Sorry, I didn't know. I agree this country hasn't paid nearly enough attention or given enough charity to your part of the country as it should.

If I had a dime for every six-figure income farmer that cried poor... I'm not saying that "Rev" isn't one of the ones that is genuinely in distress. I'm just saying that the occupation "farmer" does not automatically = hard working person that is barely getting by. The rich ones usually don't seem to recognize the difference, but I sure as hell do.

Chris is right. Farmers whine the most. Sell some of your property to get by Rev. Your fake name shows your true colors. Another fake farmer out to deceive people anyway they can. Try eating your product. it is not like anyone else cant afford to eat it because you jerks keep raising the prices.

Good thing it wasn't in Indianapolis. The city would have slapped a 10-day demolition order on a safety hazard like this, and required a sturdy chain-link fence around it within 48 hours.

Most of the houses in the blast zone on Indy south side looked pretty good from outside, except for broken windows and some loose siding. But the demo orders have a short time limit.

I hope these homeowners have hurricane and flood insurance, but 155 years of surviving the storms could definitely make it seem unnecessary. Actually, if it only becomes catastrophic once every 155 years, it makes economic sense to go uninsured. Just write it off and rebuild occasionally. Add up the (hurricane and flood) premiums over a 155-year period (with compounded interest) - save it in a rebuilding trust.

Man that is the same thought I had what a structure! Coming from a Journeyman Carpenter.

Yeah, I was impressed. I am a master carpenter and have been appalled at the workmanship in modern homes. In 1855 they were practicing joinery and the workmanship in that old home speaks for itself.

I was going to say the same thing but you beat me to it. That would be a great show to watch.

$250K won't go far these days building a house. While I am all for saving historical structures, this one looks like it's too far gone. The owners may want to consider an alternative to building the house on site that could be less expensive in the end.

I live in Central NJ. We put up a new house after a house fire about 6 years ago. We cut our costs by building a modular home manufactured in central PA. We hired a general contractor who worked with the house manufacturer. The house came on five flat bed trucks and was put together in 24 hours' time. However, it was three months before we could move in. Not only did the workmen have to do the drywall and spackle the seams, but other things like electric, plumbing and the central air had to be installed. The sewer hook up had to be redone, the electric had to be done, walkway and driveway had to be done, etc. There are a lot of extra costs involved that you may not think about - demolition of the old structure, hauling away of debris, permits, etc. However, our new house is a bigger, more green house than the old one and has things like central air and a fireplace that we didn't have before, but we save a lot on heating and electric because it's more energy efficient. Central air has been great for my allergies, too!