Help urgently needed

Hello everyone, just by chance I’ve come across someone who is in need of some help, maybe with a caravan if you know of one or have one who can help this family out.
I don’t live near here or have anything I can offer but maybe among those on here there is someone who could help …

The lady is on this FB site -Items for sale/wanted Haute-Vienne - and her name is Barbara Murray, if you click you will see what an awful state her house is in. Sorry I don’t have the technical know how to put photos etc myself !

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Here are her details… Desperately looking for a caravan to buy and live in whilst we repair our house and our lives following the storm in Saint Sornin, 16220.
We can’t tow as cars were written off too but will cover expenses.
If you can help pls msg or phone +447739694973. Thank you

How awful. I’m too far away as well. I hope this lady gets the help she needs.

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I’ve seen the photos she has posted, every room is an absolute mess. I cannot re post them here but you get some idea of what the commune has suffered. Must be difficult as well coping with all the red tape in another language. I really feel for her and her family …
I have suggested that she join this site as well …

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I guess I do have some questions. What kind of insurance does she/do they have? She’s on Facebook so she must have access to the internet somehow, no? If so, she could access Leboncoin and find a caravan, perhaps. Does she have family nearby, or can she live with some family elsewhere…? Does this sound heartless? I mean, it’s great to have/give help but there must be many people who need it… Always best, I feel, to start giving by going with supporting an organization that is helping in the area. Is this kind of support usually offered, in emergencies? I wonder if the mairie is setting something up?

As I understand things Mary she is an English immigrant. The commune has been declared as’ catastrophe naturelle’. The insurance companies of the various habitants of the village are sending/have sent agents from the various companies. It’s a complicated procedure, also dependant on what insurance cover/ company you have chosen. No doubt some of the French locals have family and friends who can help out. Imagine however that you are an ‘incomer’ to a village, that you have no family who live here, maybe haven’t yet had the time to make many friends. Maybe are not fluent in French…
She is asking if there is anyone who has a caravan for sale, is not looking for ‘hand outs’ she is offering to pay for transport costs, her car cannot be used at the moment.
I am not sure what support the commune is getting, it’s for sure she is not the only one affected, but sometimes the support of compatriots who speak your language is a great help also …

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I agree; but what about local support? Would it not be good for her to go first to find local resources? I don’t mean to pry into her personal situation. My questions relate to wondering/finding out what is usually available, in the event of an emergency. Probably self-interest is inquiring as much as trying to support with confidence. After all, I wanted to help many times, but even with certification as an emergency med tech I can’t actually help without being part of the ICS (Incident Command System). ICS is something coordinated/deployed immediately once an emergency happens… How does the emergency support system work, in local areas…?

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Sometimes, a person in need, who goes to his/her local network, can in the process be part of the solution for others; can find ways to help as well as to receive…

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I’ve got nothing to offer but hoping she gets some help…back in uk we had a severe hailstorm where hailstones were as big as the palms of our hands…(just been looking for the photos) they do enormous damage and very quickly…my initial reaction was that the Collies were in the garden when it started…! We got battered within seconds…frightening for us but the colies took shelter almost immediately and although there was a certain amount of damage to roof tiles and car roofs and bonnets they were unharmed…Insurance can take a while…I hope she finds some interim assistance…x

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The storm hit our area last Wednesday, so I know at first hand how villages and communes all pull together in such times.

The damage has been appalling for some and very light for others… help has come from all quarters… local and further afield.

Great pains have been taken to contact everyone in the commune (on foot or by vehicle armed with chain saw), to discover their situation and to help/arrange help as and when necessary.

Saint Sornin et Chabanais have also suffered, here is a photo of Jocelyne et Stéphane Brun’s house at Vilhonneur, near to Saint-Sornin. This photo shows damage very similar to that shown in Barbara Murray’s photo… :zipper_mouth_face: ghastly, but no-one hurt which is the main thing.

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For those of you who wonder … this is the sort of local response…

Yes Stella a ghastly event indeed.
I posted Barbara Murray’s details because she is trying urgently to buy a reasonably priced caravan as accomodation . I thought that someone on here might have one for sale or know of one for sale near to where she lives.
She has already put wanted ‘ads’ on FB, problem also is her car is badly damaged and she can’t pick one up, but she is willing to pay delivery costs if its nearby.
Hope someone on here can help out …

Yes Ann… I think a caravan has been found (FB)… although Barbara is not sure if it will be big enough…

By now, her roof will be covered with a tarpaulin and she can start clearing the inside debris… Soaked insulation is horrible (first hand experience again)… but once that is removed, everything will seem better to her (I hope)… and the sun of the last few days should have started drying-up the inside.

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