A pair of homeowners recently experienced the terrifying power of water firsthand during a historic 100-year flood of Peabody River in December, leading to a wave of support on GoFundMe to help the couple recover.
Alexandra Roberts (@alexandraroberts_) shared footage of the raging waters underneath her Gorham, New Jersey, home in a 37-second clip on TikTok.
In the video, her partner, Josh, is seen surveying the damage as he paces around the house.
@alexandraroberts_ We rushed back into the house to move everything we could out of this room to prevent it from collapsing. Shortly after moving couches, chairs, tables and a few plants, we realized the foundation had washed away in that timeframe. It was time to leave for good. #naturaldisaster #fema #wmur #river #flood #flooding2023 #climatechange #climateaction #globalwarning #realestate #disasters #disastertodreamhome ♬ original sound - Alexandra Roberts
"Josh, you might be standing on air right now," a male voice off-camera warns. "I think there might be air under the foundation."
"We rushed back into the house to move everything we could out of this room to prevent it from collapsing. Shortly after moving couches, chairs, tables, and a few plants, we realized the foundation had washed away in that time frame," Alexandra wrote in the caption, adding that they knew "it was time to leave for good."
Corey McMullen, the organizer of the GoFundMe for Alexandra and Josh, detailed on the fundraising site how "the river not only washed away the land that their house once stood on but has permanently changed its course to run directly underneath their home."
Because the house was not built in a designated flood zone, the couple did not have flood insurance, meaning their claims were denied by their insurance agency.
Unfortunately, as extreme weather events become more severe and frequent due to the changing temperatures of our planet, more people could be displaced by severe floods or affected by high insurance costs.
As detailed by Fast Company, 2023 was a year of historic flooding, including in Italy and California, which was drenched with water from nine atmospheric rivers over three weeks in January.
Unusual floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo also killed hundreds at the beginning of this year.
While the storm in Gorham thankfully didn't cause any injuries, per a WMUR-TV report shared by Yahoo, one witness told the news station the town has "been through a couple hurricanes and it was nowhere near as bad as this."
Weatherization is one tool homeowners have been using to further protect themselves from the elements. And in this case, the power of community is shining through, with commenters on TikTok and GoFundMe commiserating with the couple and lending their monetary support.
"I'm so sorry you're going through this. I couldn't imagine losing my home," one TikToker wrote.
"I saw your story on TikTok and felt moved to donate to your fundraiser … Praying for you to find a soft spot to land after this tragedy," another person shared on GoFundMe.
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