Along with many other families, after Ida struck NJ, the Garber family lost their house, both cars, and many of their treasured possessions. After sheltering in their basement in Pennington, NJ, for most of the evening due to tornado warnings, Dave and Devon Garber came upstairs to notice rapidly increasing flood waters around their house, which quickly began to enter the basement. Fearing for their safety, they decided to evacuate the house.
They carried their two children and two dogs through the rushing water and were able to drive away however, the water had already risen high enough that both vehicles took on substantial water and subsequently had to be junked.
After reaching a hotel, neighbors later alerted them that the foundation of their house had caved in and the town engineer deemed the house uninhabitable. Fortunately, they were allowed access to part of their house to retrieve some personal items but many items were ruined or lost, including everything used to run a small business, due to water damage or parts of the house being structurally unsafe. They had been living in a hotel and now are living in a rental home while they continue to make mortgage payments for their uninhabitable home. Unfortunately, they did not have flood insurance, as the house was not considered to be in a flood zone, so their home-owners policy will not cover anything.
The Garber family moved to the Pennington community four years ago. Their children are active in local activities, such as theater, dance, basketball and soccer. Devon serves on an educational board for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, as well as the executive board for a local chapter of an alumni club for her alma mater, Clemson University. Dave is also actively involved with youth sports.
This family greatly appreciates all the local support already provided by the community. For those who have already provided support, they are not looking to “double dip” but instead ask that you please share this fundraiser with other friends or family who may be able to help them through this difficult time.
To see their Go Fund Me page, please visit this link.
