I just read this in the latest American Surveyor and didn't recall seeing anything about it posted here. Although it sounds like Jerry and his wife are uninjured, their losses were extensive. The article includes a way to provide assistance, if interested.
Scott
http://www.amerisurv.com/PDF/TheAmericanSurveyor_Cheves-HelpingASurveyor_July2017.pdf
Thanks Brad. I guess I missed it because I am often not logged in when lurking so I don't see certain areas of the forum.
Thank you to everyone for your concern and prayers relating to the recent loss of our home. This has been a very difficult time for us since the fire occurred on June 6. Going forward, I would like everyone to now redirect their attention toward the family of fellow surveyor and friend Ryan Versteeg who regularly posted here. I am not sure if a fund has been set up for his family, but our fire loss is nothing compared to what his family is now experiencing.
We discovered the fire in the garage around 3:00 a.m. and called 911. I tried to initially fight it with a fire extinguisher which ran out. Since we are under rural volunteer fire departments, it took quite awhile for the response and the house was nearly completely engulfed by the time firefighters began putting water on the house. I had severe smoke inhalation and had to be hospitalized for about half a day. Jenny was able to get out through the basement door. I was able to get our dachshund out because he was in a kennel in his regular location. We lost one cat on the main floor and the one in the basement somehow survived and was found by firefighters.
Our house was considered a complete loss since the entire roof burned and collapsed. The water from the firefighters basically damaged everything else. In the garage was my Yamaha V-Star 1100 which was nearly destroyed beyond recognition. We lost all our camping gear, my extensive survey monument and sign collection, bicycles, survey equipment including three antique instruments and tripods, a large barbed wire collection, bottle collection, fossil collection, map collection, genealogy research, many tools, die cast toys, antiques, and a large box of correspondence from WWII 8th Air Force veterans from the 1990's when many were still alive and active. Included was personal correspondence with Robert K. Morgan, pilot of the famed "Memphis Belle" B-17. Also just about everything a guy could acquire since my youth since I was do it yourself type of guy.
Our vehicles were parked out front in the driveway and the fronts were completely melted. My F-150 pickup was melted back to the cab and even the headliner inside the cab was burned. Both are deemed "fixable", but it will be some time before we get either back.
Much of my research in the basement was destroyed by water. Although I had five file cabinets, a lot of other research including research for a couple of upcoming books was stored in cardboard boxes. I had three PC's and two laptops as well as three printers, two projectors, and two scanners destroyed by water. It was sort of an elaborate system where certain programs, scanners and printers only worked on the older computers. I still had my 2002 Gateway computer which had AutoCAD LT 2004 on it, but would not load onto the newer computers. Many of my research books were in the basement and water damaged as well. The remaining color copies of the Progression of the GLO Surveys of Nebraska map that I made in 2012 were destroyed except some I had rolled up in a PVC tube with lid. My collection of Nebraska and South Dakota highway maps dating back to the 1920's were spared in sealed plastic tubs. Other antique maps and papers were in a ten-drawer map cabinet and only soot damaged.
I had backed up my main computer to an external hard drive about a week before the fire and it was in a box and in a desk drawer. It survived. I was lax about backing up my other computers including the laptop with many of my power point presentations. A computer store was able to remove the hard drives and retrieve most, but not all of the data and then combine them onto another external hard drive. Of course a couple of my most elaborate presentations were not recovered. I also them on thumb drives, but it could not be found since most of the basement ceilings collapsed. After about a week mold began to set in and we had to call off the search for remaining items.
We are now in an apartment in Lincoln. The amount of things to deal with have been enormous and will continue for some time. The biggest challenge is dealing with everything mentally since our lives changed so quickly and unexpectedly.
If you want to write to me personally that would be fine. I probably will not write here again about the fire, but I know many have been wondering so decided to share some details.
Thanks,
Jerry
jpenry at windstream dot net
Other than to say that I am sorry for your losses of material things, I am happy that you and your wife survived essentially uninjured which for me would be the ultimate loss to the rest of us. Otherwise, I will respect your wishes and assume your life is moving forward in a more positive manner each day.
Glad everyone is OK. You and your's are in our prayers.
I know the tragedy of a total fire loss twice, once when I was in the 3rd grade and again when my wife and I were in our 30's.
I can only say that the most important things are the people and you both are okay. I am sorry for about the pets that died. The collections you had are irreplaceable and that, you mourn.
I pray blessing on you and your wife. May you come to peace with what happened.