What happened?
Harvey came in like a damn wrecking ball starting on Saturday. We got a lot of rain, and tons of tornado warnings, but saturday night wasn't too bad over all. Sunday was the real gut punch. The rain continued and continued. We were constantly getting word about the addicks and barker reservoirs and their threat to our neighborhood. Sure enough.... they weren't kidding. I was secretly hoping that they were blowing this storm out of proportion, but they weren't. By Sunday night, water started coming into our house. We moved as much stuff as we could upstairs, and turned on the generator to help Charlie stay cool and get some rest. By the end of the night, we had about 4 inches of water in the house. I really don't know how to describe this feeling. It is still surreal. Watching the water come in through every wall of the house. Like an unstoppable army ready to take siege of our home. I am beyond blessed to be married to a wonderful man who did his very best to save everything he could. He was creating water dams at every door, running stuff up the stairs, he even tried to get our new refrigerator up onto a homemade block that was about 18 in off of the ground. We soon realized that this was going to be a rough week for the Kellys. Monday came and we heard that people were attempting to get rescued and were waiting for over 15 hours before even hearing about help. We decided that we needed to leave. Water was still coming into the house, and we could not get stuck with Charlie there. I had visions of us waiting on a roof top to be rescued, clutching my baby as he is snatched into a helicopter. This was not what we wanted to happen. Luckily, we are surrounded by amazing people who organized our rescue for us!
We had someone come to our door and got us out. This was the scariest moment of my life to date. I strapped Charlie to me, and climbed into a raft, knowing that we would never come back to our home as we knew it. I also didn't know what would happen to us on the raft. We had no idea where the raft would take us, or how deep/strong the water was. But we were together. Charlie was so amazing through the whole thing. He did scream for a while, but he was a damn champion. He continues to be my strength through the whole process. We got to a point where we had to get out and walk, and luckily, someone saw me carrying Charlie through the rain and wind and offered to put us in the boat that was attached to his truck and drive us further. Once we got to a checkpoint, another set of amazing people took us to a shelter. From there, my beautiful friend Becky arranged for her husband to pick us up and bring us to their home for a few nights. We are so thankful that they took us in, gave us a place to sleep, fed us, and got us whatever we needed. Timmy made it back to the house twice (though he was not actually allowed to go) and got pictures of the damage and got a few more things out of the house.
We are now staying with my sister and her family and are so happy to be with them. They have welcomed us with open arms. Charlie has a crib and his own room, and we have our own bed and space upstairs. Our family has been holding us up through this whole process. They have brought groceries, diapers, clothes, shoes, toys, and anything else we may need. They have let us cry, reminded us that we will get through anything together, and completely taken care of us and our needs. We are beyond thankful for their kindness and generosity.
That is something that I keep saying. We are thankful/ grateful/ humbled/ overwhelmed. It is so true. From the moment people found out that we may be in danger... we have been flooded (haha.. too soon?) with kind words, prayers, offers of help, offers of toys, offers of places to stay all over the country, and so on and so on. We truly are humbled by the kindness and generosity of our family, friends, and total strangers. It is really what is keeping us going during this hard time. Our family has welcomed us and made us feel at home. They are helping with Charlie, and letting us cry as much as we need. We had so many friends offer us a place to stay while we get things figured out. Our friends organized our escape! Total strangers risked their lives to save us. They could have been safe and warm and dry at home, but instead chose to find a boat and save people, drive people to shelters, donate their time and belongings, and offer a safe place for refugees. Y'all.... teenagers were all over the shelter helping out. I talk so much crap about teenagers and I need to stop. They were wonderful. Timmy was helped by people from the Phoenix fire department. They came all the way here to help. Charlie got sick, and by just asking for help, I had three pediatricians contact me within 5 minutes offering their services. I cannot say enough how much my faith in humanity has been restored.
What we know... kind of
People keep asking what we need. Here's the thing... we don't even know. We do know that the water is still extremely high in our house and it's not going anywhere any time soon. We have basically been told that our house is part of a lake for a while. My two year old niece told me that we can't go back because there might be fish in the house that will bite us or tickle us! Ain't nobody got time for that! We have been getting mixed messages about when we will get back into the house but we think it will be at minimum, a few weeks.
Many of you know that we were supposed to be closing on a house (that may be damage free) last week so we are not really sure where where we stand there. We don't know what our obligations are at this point with the house. We certainly know that the people who were buying our house aren't going to want to anymore. For better or worse, we are still in limbo with this and we aren't really sure how things will end up.
What we need:
We have been overwhelmed by people offering assistance in this process. So much so, that I'm pretty sure I have not responded to everyone! If I haven't gotten back to you, I whole heartedly apologize! I will tell you that we feel blessed to be in a much better situation than a lot of people in this storm. We continue to count our blessings each day, and that has helped overcome the anger, and the tears.
We do not know yet what we need because we cannot get into the house. If we can swim into the house in the next few days, we will get as much as we can. We don't have a lot of clothes so we will try to save some. As far as furniture goes, we got a lot of it upstairs so we are hoping it's safe. If it continues to sit in the house with gross water though, I'm not sure what we will be able to keep. We for sure lost our kitchen appliances, washer/dryer, Timmy's shop, both cars, our couch, dining table, kitchen table, brand new fridge, pots and pans, and a few other pieces of furniture. So we are hoping the upstairs stuff is salvageable!
I will tell you that Charlie is set for now! We have received diapers, clothes, food, and toys galore! He is one loved little man.
Everyone has asked us what they can do to help. When we can get back in the house, we need man power. That is the biggest help we need! We will need help ripping stuff up, cleaning what is still there, and after a plumber/ electrician get in there, we will need help putting it back together. You can bet I will be putting out an all call when this happens! Other than that, prayers and happy thoughts are more appreciated than you know. These are getting us through! There is a chance that we won't have much in the way of clothing for myself and Timmy so if you are cleaning out your closet, here are our sizes: Timmy- L/XL shirts, size 36x32 pants, 10-10.5 size shoes; I generally wear size 10-14 (probably more towards 14 these days as I am eating my feelings... don't judge my life) and generally a L in shirts, size 9-9.5 shoes. If you have furniture you are wanting to get rid of, text me or email me and I will let you know if might be able to use it (allykelly85@gmail.com). Once we get a few things figured out, we can find a way to pick stuff up from you. Another thing that would brighten our day is maybe have your kiddo make a card for Charlie. It would really bring a smile to our faces! We will be at my sister's for a while so you can send it there:
Ally Kelly
c/o Laura Hindes
6714 Brock Meadow Dr.
Spring, TX 77389
Thank you all for thinking of us during this dark time for our family. We are trying to keep our heads up and just keep swimming (I can't help myself) but the anger and frustration and overall sadness get the best of us some times. I may or may not have gone off on our insurance company about our rental cars. They gave us crappy little cars that have no air vents in the back seats and it pissed me off. I need to focus on the fact that at least we have a way to get around now, and it could be much worse. I am realizing that this is a test of our humility and strength. I do worry about some of the things that are irreplaceable, like the bed Timmy built for us, or the painting he made for us when we moved to NYC to make our apartment feel like a home. I am also super sad about my extensive TOMS and PJ collections. I know that these are stupid things to be sad about but I am. I miss my make up and I'm sure those around me do too. These are the stupid things I'm worried about and I know they aren't important. The thing I miss most though is our routine. Our home. The life we built. Charlie's sense of security and routine. These are things that I am longing for most. We will get it back, we will get it back, we will. This too shall pass and we will be strong for him.
Thank you for listening. We love you all and are so thankful for the people who surround us in our lives! If you know someone named Harvey, maybe suggest they start going by a middle name, because I may find them and punch them in the throat :) Love you guys!
xoxo
Ally
We are now staying with my sister and her family and are so happy to be with them. They have welcomed us with open arms. Charlie has a crib and his own room, and we have our own bed and space upstairs. Our family has been holding us up through this whole process. They have brought groceries, diapers, clothes, shoes, toys, and anything else we may need. They have let us cry, reminded us that we will get through anything together, and completely taken care of us and our needs. We are beyond thankful for their kindness and generosity.
That is something that I keep saying. We are thankful/ grateful/ humbled/ overwhelmed. It is so true. From the moment people found out that we may be in danger... we have been flooded (haha.. too soon?) with kind words, prayers, offers of help, offers of toys, offers of places to stay all over the country, and so on and so on. We truly are humbled by the kindness and generosity of our family, friends, and total strangers. It is really what is keeping us going during this hard time. Our family has welcomed us and made us feel at home. They are helping with Charlie, and letting us cry as much as we need. We had so many friends offer us a place to stay while we get things figured out. Our friends organized our escape! Total strangers risked their lives to save us. They could have been safe and warm and dry at home, but instead chose to find a boat and save people, drive people to shelters, donate their time and belongings, and offer a safe place for refugees. Y'all.... teenagers were all over the shelter helping out. I talk so much crap about teenagers and I need to stop. They were wonderful. Timmy was helped by people from the Phoenix fire department. They came all the way here to help. Charlie got sick, and by just asking for help, I had three pediatricians contact me within 5 minutes offering their services. I cannot say enough how much my faith in humanity has been restored.
What we know... kind of
People keep asking what we need. Here's the thing... we don't even know. We do know that the water is still extremely high in our house and it's not going anywhere any time soon. We have basically been told that our house is part of a lake for a while. My two year old niece told me that we can't go back because there might be fish in the house that will bite us or tickle us! Ain't nobody got time for that! We have been getting mixed messages about when we will get back into the house but we think it will be at minimum, a few weeks.
Many of you know that we were supposed to be closing on a house (that may be damage free) last week so we are not really sure where where we stand there. We don't know what our obligations are at this point with the house. We certainly know that the people who were buying our house aren't going to want to anymore. For better or worse, we are still in limbo with this and we aren't really sure how things will end up.
What we need:
We have been overwhelmed by people offering assistance in this process. So much so, that I'm pretty sure I have not responded to everyone! If I haven't gotten back to you, I whole heartedly apologize! I will tell you that we feel blessed to be in a much better situation than a lot of people in this storm. We continue to count our blessings each day, and that has helped overcome the anger, and the tears.
We do not know yet what we need because we cannot get into the house. If we can swim into the house in the next few days, we will get as much as we can. We don't have a lot of clothes so we will try to save some. As far as furniture goes, we got a lot of it upstairs so we are hoping it's safe. If it continues to sit in the house with gross water though, I'm not sure what we will be able to keep. We for sure lost our kitchen appliances, washer/dryer, Timmy's shop, both cars, our couch, dining table, kitchen table, brand new fridge, pots and pans, and a few other pieces of furniture. So we are hoping the upstairs stuff is salvageable!
I will tell you that Charlie is set for now! We have received diapers, clothes, food, and toys galore! He is one loved little man.
Everyone has asked us what they can do to help. When we can get back in the house, we need man power. That is the biggest help we need! We will need help ripping stuff up, cleaning what is still there, and after a plumber/ electrician get in there, we will need help putting it back together. You can bet I will be putting out an all call when this happens! Other than that, prayers and happy thoughts are more appreciated than you know. These are getting us through! There is a chance that we won't have much in the way of clothing for myself and Timmy so if you are cleaning out your closet, here are our sizes: Timmy- L/XL shirts, size 36x32 pants, 10-10.5 size shoes; I generally wear size 10-14 (probably more towards 14 these days as I am eating my feelings... don't judge my life) and generally a L in shirts, size 9-9.5 shoes. If you have furniture you are wanting to get rid of, text me or email me and I will let you know if might be able to use it (allykelly85@gmail.com). Once we get a few things figured out, we can find a way to pick stuff up from you. Another thing that would brighten our day is maybe have your kiddo make a card for Charlie. It would really bring a smile to our faces! We will be at my sister's for a while so you can send it there:
Ally Kelly
c/o Laura Hindes
6714 Brock Meadow Dr.
Spring, TX 77389
Thank you all for thinking of us during this dark time for our family. We are trying to keep our heads up and just keep swimming (I can't help myself) but the anger and frustration and overall sadness get the best of us some times. I may or may not have gone off on our insurance company about our rental cars. They gave us crappy little cars that have no air vents in the back seats and it pissed me off. I need to focus on the fact that at least we have a way to get around now, and it could be much worse. I am realizing that this is a test of our humility and strength. I do worry about some of the things that are irreplaceable, like the bed Timmy built for us, or the painting he made for us when we moved to NYC to make our apartment feel like a home. I am also super sad about my extensive TOMS and PJ collections. I know that these are stupid things to be sad about but I am. I miss my make up and I'm sure those around me do too. These are the stupid things I'm worried about and I know they aren't important. The thing I miss most though is our routine. Our home. The life we built. Charlie's sense of security and routine. These are things that I am longing for most. We will get it back, we will get it back, we will. This too shall pass and we will be strong for him.
Thank you for listening. We love you all and are so thankful for the people who surround us in our lives! If you know someone named Harvey, maybe suggest they start going by a middle name, because I may find them and punch them in the throat :) Love you guys!
xoxo
Ally
Thank you for writing this. Praying for y'all and we are here to help!!
ReplyDelete-Mandy
Thank you for sharing Al! This brought an immense feeling of helplessness to my heart, along with many tears. Please know that we love you and will help in any way possible.
ReplyDeletePS - I know a Harvey! I will punch him in the throat for you and scream YOU KNOW WHYYYYY!!!!
Love,
Nohelia
Ally, thanks for sharing these tragic and very personal thoughts and updates. Please know that we love you all and that you are in our thoughts here in Atlanta. If there is anything that we can do to help, please let us know or ask your dad to do so.
ReplyDeleteLove, Larry and Brad