Urgent help needed please!

Sorry my first post is this!


URGENT help needed to all local to me, Duras, Dept 47. A friends house burnt to the ground yesterday and he has lost absolutely everything in the fire. All he has are the clothes he is wearing left.If anyone has clothes or shoes that people might have going spare? Size 32 trousers med or med/large tops and size 8.5 shoes. He is looking for anything suitable for winter. Work clothes are fine. Contact me on 06 27 09 15 94

Hello All, I met with him on Monday to had over some of the donated items so far ( have more sitting here today! He is amazed how many nice people have come forward to help him, even though they don't know him, and asked for me to pass on his thanks. He came by on Wednesday, and said his insurance seems to be in his favor, but will take a little time, with the possibility of rebuilding his house, which I think he will do but again will take time, I believe he is going to rent for a while. As Nina said he is getting to grips with things that can't be replaced, like photos and memories.

I will let you all know any news once I speak to him again later this week to drop of more things. I don't know if he needs anything, yet, he only wanted clothes to keep him going.

Thanks again to you all on this site, sorry I didn't/couldn't get back to you all, over indulged at Halloween and spent 2 days in bed...vowing to never drink again!.........watch this space!

Vicky

x

How is he getting on Nina, is there anything we can do to help?

i have just joined this network after hearing that someone had put out an appeal for 'our friend' he is totally devastated in the realisation that he has just lost his house and contents - he is the type of person who gives but never expect or wants to receive back - he is one very genuine person - which in this day and age is very rare !! great work vicky - thank you

Yes and probably we should have explained that she'd been invited from the outset, which would have cleared up any confusion earlier. But hey, we're not perfect (well not all of the time!!)



@Mark - yes, absolutely, do question and separate the wheat from the chaff. Totally the right thing to do. I just wanted to say that fire can do a devastating amount of damage in a very short time.

One of the reasons I am so voluble on the subject, and went to such lengths to help friends following a fire is that I have experienced it at first hand.

@ Nola, At no time have I accused Vicky of any wrongdoing, not that you have suggested that I have, but I have put forward the theory that things may not be as straightforward as it seems. Would you lend 500 euros to someone you have just met in a bar? We are all familiar with the Nigerian scams " Hallo, I wish to by your 'M16 half track multiple gun carraige, 1944' for my wife, my shipping agent, etc" & we are bombarded with promises of untold millions if we just send our bank details. The scams are getting more clever & by asking lots of people for a small amount this can build up to a large amount, but nobody will complain about the theft of, say, 2 euros. If people had looked into those complaints made about Mr Saville instead of poo pooing them, the scandal now surrounding him would not exist.
I'm sure that Vicky can understand that, as a stranger to this site, there was bound to be a little cynicism but, once James told us that Vicky had been invited to join, he explained her presence,after which I apologised for doubting her motives. Is it not right to ask questions?

I don't see why it's up to Vicky to prove anything. I do think a few members need to prove that they can be welcoming and humane though

hi - I'm sorry Vicky I don't have any clothes/shoes in our house to fit I'm afraid. My hubby hasn't seen a 32 waist since his teens bless him. However I do hope the gentleman can pick himself up on and move on after such a sad event. Fire is awful and what the fire doesn't destroy the smoke certainly will. My dad was a fireman so I am very familiar with the awful stench left behind on his clothes - I can still smell it now after years have gone by. Best wishes and well done for volunteering to help - I know Nola went to a lot of trouble organising for her friends but I am sure it was genuinely appreciated by the family in need.

"This is not the first appeal of this kind to appear on an expat site, where "everything" has been destroyed - so the fire must have spread very quickly. Of course there is no way of knowing how this fire started or what kind of house it was.3

Please open below link to see just how quickly a fire can spread and how it is entirely possible to lose absolutely everything - this is my friend's flat and business, completely rased to the ground in a couple of hours, despite the fact there were people IN the building, the pompiers arrived straight away and the fire was prevented from spreading to surrounding buildings....

http://images.search.conduit.com/ImagePreview/?q=profinett%20incendie&ctid=CT3239904&searchsource=49&start=0&pos=3

I posted about a fire on SF a couple of months ago - after having posted on AI and been roundly accused and abused as a result of my posting, despite the fact I could offer details and indeed sent my name and address and credentials to the hecklers. Here on SF the thread was completely different - lots of offers of help, cheques, parcels etc. Maybe it helped that I could give details and links? Good luck!

http://www.survivefrance.com/profiles/blogs/sfn-members-in-the-33-we-need-your-help?xg_source=activity

Maggie - please upload a profile photo - thanks! xx

Just logged on and taken quite aback at this - I usually smell scam at a thousand paces and this one well just didn't come up on the scam-o-meter at all! Like people have said who on earth would scam for specific sized clothes and shoes! I hope you don't get too disheartened Vicky and your friend gets sorted quickly!

Vicky has also supplied me with the name and address of the unfortunate man who's house it was. I'm not making that public but that is the information I have and I am more than happy to send my package. Whatever the rest of you do is entirely up to you and I would agree that caution is a good approach. However, having a bit of faith in humanity is too.

As I have already given James my address I am also happy to give it to anyone else who is offering help, although I do think we may have got him enough to get by. I am meeting him tomorrow with a suitcase of clothes that were dropped off here today. When I spoke to him he was taken back by how nice strangers have been, so thanks everyone, and to those who left me a message on my phone, I will get back to you tomorrow, phone is dead!

Good point Corson, can you provide any more info Vicky to silence the cynics?!

James, there is an English guy near me who buys old clothes & shoes for 50 cents a kilo. Thats 500 euros a transitful. He sells them on to someone else at a profit. So if enough people sent him a few old clothes free...

I've just packed some spare old clothes in to a box which will cost me maybe 15 euros to send tomorrow. If it's a scam it not a very good one.

In which case, James & Vicky, my sincere apologies for raising doubts!

There IS plenty of support for victims of tragedies such as this but, to be honest, I've been conned by so many genuine sounding people over the years I have turned into a cynic! I think the one that hurt most was helping a wman whom I thought was a friend. She claimed to be in a violent relationship & the only way out was to pay her partner for items he had bought for the home to the tune of £1000. My business was in difficulties with resulting problems in my personal life. I chose to help. She then bought a Landrover for him. The relationship was never in difficulty. I never saw the money back & shortly after I went bankrupt, losing my house, business & pensions as well as my self esteem. Very difficult to handle alone. On the up side, it did prompt me to move here where life is much better, but these experiences have left me thinking that I need to put my own needs first!

I am amazed that anybody can smell scam, dodgy or also believe than an insurance company will spring into action that fast. Plus a phone number on offer so that a conversation is offered. Heavens above, I've just seen this and no I aam not kowtowing to anybody before that is thrown in for good measure. I just think out of human decency people might think, ask or find a way of checking if they have doubts.

I think we have nothing on offer, despite my tum at present, most of my trousers are less and smallish, my shoe size is less too. But otherwise we would...