Eddie is a USMC Vietnam veteran, and lived on his 40+ year old boat (1982 sailboat) with his cat. He spent years fixing up the old boat, which was less expensive than renting or buying a home.
The boat sank September 28, 2022 from Hurricane Ian. A few days before the hurricane, he planned to sail the boat west away from the oncoming storm, but found the water was too choppy and it was already dangerous. He and his cat hunkered down through the storm at a public building.
He needs to find a temporary home that will allow his cat to stay with him.
The owner of the marina said Eddie is personally responsible for his boat, to remove it from the water, as it is submerged in 12 ft of sea water. He needs to find a company to hoist the boat from the water and remove it to a junk yard. It will cost thousands to refloat just to have it junked. It's too old to save or salvage it.
He needs food, clothing, and shelter.
He has been surviving on a small social security income and is now devastated.
Insurance companies are now overwhelmed with assessor requests and it will take weeks before he will be reimbursed, which won't cover all of his loss, maybe 90% of the boat's value. He lost his clothes, food, navigation tools, cat supplies, and has no car. The old boat was the only thing he had.
Eddie is in dire need of immediate assistance for day-to-day survival. He immediately needs money to find a new home, a few changes of clothes, and pet supplies. Then, he needs to find a replacement boat, which will cost more than the insurance company will pay out, and all the other supplies he will need to get his life back.
In one of his pics, there is a 42 ft trawler on its side, that is too close to Eddie's boat for this to be an easy salvage.
