Diane L. is a mother of three, a longtime resident of Washington state with her husband, and one of the many affected by severe flooding in her neighborhood. While their home was not directly flooded, standing water caused serious damage to their plumbing, resulting in costly and unexpected repairs.

Shortly after, Diane’s husband lost his job. What had initially felt like an inconvenient repair quickly became an overwhelming financial strain as the family faced mounting expenses with reduced income.

Needing help covering repair costs, as well as basic necessities and hygiene supplies, Diane started a fundraiser on GoFundMe. The next week, she received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Flood Relief Fund. The extra support made it possible for Diane and her husband to meet their basic needs and gave them the breathing room they needed as her husband began to look for new work.

In the early morning hours on the Fourth of July, Bob M. and his wife Jan were asleep in their home when floodwaters began rising around them. By the time the fire department was able to safely get them out, the water had already reached their chests.

Bob and Jan, both in their mid-80s, were living on Social Security at the time of the flood. Jan was undergoing cancer treatment, and Bob supplemented their limited income by doing carpentry work when he was able. The flooding left their home nearly destroyed and totaled both of their vehicles, including Bob’s work van. The carpentry tools Bob had collected over more than 60 years and relied on for income were also lost. On their fixed income, the couple had been unable to afford flood insurance, meaning every repair and replacement would need to be paid for out of pocket.

As they began navigating what came next, their son-in-law Tommy started a GoFundMe fundraiser on their behalf to help cover essential needs and, hopefully, a new work van so Bob could continue to earn income. In July, Bob and Jan received a $1,200 grant from GoFundMe.org’s Flood Relief Fund. The additional support helped ease some of the immediate financial strain as they faced rebuilding delays and worked to secure a safe place to live.

“My house went five feet under in just about fifteen minutes,” Veronica M. said, describing the historic flooding that impacted her community this summer. In a home filled with memories and everyday essentials for her young daughter, Veronica had only moments to react. When the water rushed in, she was able to escape with her child and one change of clothes each. Veronica did not have flood insurance, meaning every repair and loss would have to be paid for out of pocket.

With her home damaged and nowhere else to turn, she started a GoFundMe fundraiser to ask for support. Shortly after, Veronica received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Flood Relief Fund. After losing nearly everything, the grant helped her begin replacing essentials like clothing, food, and secure temporary housing, and perhaps even more importantly, reminded her that she was not facing the aftermath alone.

Tamara S. and her partner lived happily on a small farm in Washington, where they raised puppies and horses. The couple had spent years building their dream property, complete with kennels, horse shelters, and corrals, when in December, floodwaters swept through their community and destroyed much of what they had worked so hard to create.

The flooding caused critical damage to the farm’s private water well, leaving the property without running water. Dog and puppy kennels were destroyed, and the barn and horse shelters were filled with deep mud and debris, making it difficult to safely care for the animals.

Not knowing where else to turn, Tamara started a GoFundMe fundraiser to ask for community support. “This repair will take more labor than we two oldsters can handle,” she shared. “We’ll have to pay for strong bodies and bring in heavy equipment to move logs and heavy debris, clear the land, and repair the fences, buildings, and everything else.”

Shortly after, Tamara received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Flood Relief Fund, which helped them begin addressing the most urgent repairs.