Losing It All; Renters Insurance and Fire

I have to tell you, I've seen a lot of things in my career in Property Management. Couldn't even begin to tell you all of them. Just when you think you've seen it all, you realize, nope, notsomuch.

Got a call at 1:15 a.m. Fire. I'm up. The picnic was yesterday and my body was so drained and my muscles were literally aching in my legs when we got home at about 7:30-8:00 p.m. Pain. Potato sack racing and jousting and running from whipped cream and chasing people with water balloons is truly for the youngsters. Clearly not for old people like me anymore. Get the kids to bed, clean a couple things from picnic, try to settle in, crash at 11:00 p.m. Two hours later, get up, robot mode, go to fire. My honey was telling me what to dress in because clearly, I could not think straight. You know how when you have to take a flight early early and you are up before most normal people it's still dark outside like 4 or 5 a.m. and you feel off, like you could throw up or your stomach is unsettled, is it only me who feels off balance when up that early? Well that's how I felt as he's telling me no, don't wear that, (I think I was putting more PJ's on deliriously), wear this, ok ok, I'm focused. Grab water, put a hat on, shoes, I'm out the door. 1:19 a.m. I'm leaving my neighborhood, fast. Go. Blare the radio, roll down the windows, wake up. No idea how bad the fire is, no idea how long I'll be there, hope for the best, maybe I'll be home in half an hour. Right. Pray.

I get there to find no less than seven fire trucks and several ambulances. Tons of people out like they are watching a show and people everywhere. Three townhomes; gone. Find the manager, get the scoop, walk away, get my bearings, get as close to the fire as I can to get a better look and to really get a grip. No one was hurt, everyone got out. One family lost their dog in the fire. We call the Red Cross. They can help. Put them in hotel for three nights, food and clothes for three days. None. I mean NONE of them had renters insurance. Young couples. Everything. Gone. The two young air men on the other side of the firewall where the fire did not spread DID have renters insurance, both townhomes after that firewall till the next firewall had renters insurance. The three that burned had nothing. Irony? Maybe. I don't think so. I think just sad.

To have to tell someone who you know lost their dog that same night that they will not be able to go back in to their home to try to salvage anything, it's been condemned, not safe, you now have nothing but your car; this is a hard thing. It's very sobering. I put my heart right on my sleeve and I did the best I could. It's now 4 a.m. and my muscles, every muscle in my body, my legs at the top of the list, are on fire. Pain isn't the word really. But what right, what right in the world do I have to complain? None. Never said a word. I kept bending down and touching my toes to try to flex them. Fire. Fire in front of me and fire in my body. Fire.

I was so reminded by a co worker and now a very dear friend that this is what we do. Yep. Whatever it takes, part time or full time, we owe it to our residents to be there, to help them, to secure the buildings, and to keep everyone safe.

Do you know how cheap renters insurance is? How affordable? It can average between $80-$130 a YEAR depending on the value of your belongings. How can you not afford that? We highly recommend it to all of our residents, they even now sign something when they move in, we can't mandate they get it but we strongly recommend it. Yet and still so many don't. I just don't understand. How does losing it all compare to $100 a year? It baffles me. I would never put myself in that boat. When we rented apartments, we had it. Before we bought our first home, we had it. How can you not? In the blink of an eye, a careless neighbor, accidental as it may be causes a fire that rips through his home and yours. Done. Gone. Nothing.

Hard to watch and hard to see. Really helps drive home the whole tell those you love you love them. One day here, one day gone. Thank goodness in this case, there was no loss of human life but it happens every day where the opposite is true.

---In the middle of it all, I stepped on a nail. Sat down by the ambulance at 5 am and thought it was glass I'd pull out of my shoe, went right through those stupid Crocs and lo and behold, it was a nail from boarding up the windows and doors. I was so mad at myself, and so tired, and hurting so bad, it all came out and I literally threw my shoe across the road. The rescue worker just looked at me. Bet he's seen it all though. Bet he has. But bet he's never seen a wild eyed woman sitting on the side of the road yell out loud and throw her shoe across the road. Bet not. He laughed though. Asked me who I was. If I was ok. He helped me. I was fine. Just mad. Mad mad mad. At everything. At nothing. At everything.

This is my life. It's easy. It's hard. It's fun and sometimes unbelievable. The facts are all here. I put my little journalistic flare to it but the facts are represented always. If we only live once, why not do it right? Why not try? I saw those homes gone, ceiling gone, floors caved in, walls gone, I looked at those folks and I thought to myself how sad. Protect yourself people. Just do. If you can help it, don't lose it all.

Back in bed for the night at 6:40 a.m. after showering all the filth and funk off, up at 11:00 a.m. this morning, quick 40 min nap and then back up for Sunday School for Oldest, Mass and meeting for First Reconciliation. Still up. Why? So tired I'm not tired. Stupid. Ok yes, I'm going now. Good night. I don't even want to know how many hours I've been up with no sleep. Just don't tell me. Compared to those families, I guess my loss of sleep is nothing compared to their loss of pictures, memories, belongings, clothes and dog. Three families, yesterday at this time, had nice little homes. 24 hours later; have nothing. I bet I still haven't seen it all...

J