18 February, 2007 |
Sad news and call to action
I am sorry to report that Irene’s apartment burned down this past weekend. Fortunately, Irene made it out safely; her cats, however, were not as fortunate. Star died in the accident and Sergeant Johnson escaped, but is recovering from burns. Other than her coveted laptop (which she managed to escape with), Irene has lost most of her belongings and is now homeless and couch-surfing for a short time. (You can view Flickr photos of the site here.) Her friends are putting together living plans and item donations to help her out in this sad time.
Fortunately, you can help as well! Irene needs support and would love to hear from you. (She is indeed receiving email.) If you have enjoyed her work and her tireless personality, please support her in her hour of need.
We’ll share more news as it becomes available. Thanks for your support, both past and present, and stay tuned for the eventual triumphant return of N1L.
16 comments to “Sad news and call to action”
Wes, February 19th, 2007 at 2:17 pm:
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Wow thats realy sad i will definatly try to help out. I hope your doing ok
jim w, February 20th, 2007 at 1:43 pm:
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I’m so sorry to hear of your bad luck. Wishing you the very best, and chin up - I’m sure that everything will be ok in time, even though sometimes it doesn’t seem like it.
johnson williams, February 20th, 2007 at 3:28 pm:
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Boy, what a slap in the face to Irene. I hope shes doing well and everyone takes the time to donate a little bit.
Richard, February 20th, 2007 at 6:34 pm:
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Hi Irene,
I saw the news of your disastrous fire on BoingBoing.net today and was deeply saddened. The same thing happened to me and my girlfriend Taryn in 1996, and Taryn’s cat Peaches died of smoke installation. Unlike your fire, ours was caused when the manager and landlord’s son was varnishing a desk in his spare bedroom, and the varnish in rags spontaneously ignited and burned down the apartment building.
Taryn and I also lost just about everything we owned, and I want you to know that the first days after the fire are the toughest. You will get past these days and life will get better again. Let your friends help you as much as they can, and don’t be afraid to see a counselor to talk about your loss and pain. It will help a lot, and there’s no shame in it.
I’m unemployed and don’t have any money to donate, but I wanted to let you know that even people like myself who don’t know you care, and I hope that your life comes back together as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Richard in L.A.
adam, February 20th, 2007 at 7:09 pm:
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dang… that’s crazy. Sorry to hear about this, but happy to hear she made it out safe.
Zadi, February 20th, 2007 at 7:35 pm:
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Gosh, Irene! I just saw a post on Scott Beale’s blog. I feel horrible that we never got to hook up when you were in Los Angeles. I feel so bad about your kitty. I hope you’re doing okay and that everything turns around quickly…
John E. Bartley, III, February 20th, 2007 at 10:31 pm:
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Suggest she contact the local Red Cross chapter. They will hotel her for up to a week, with meals, which beats couch surfing, and will find a pet-friendly hotel. All aid for clients is completely and totally free, paid for by Americans who make un-earmarked contributions to the Disaster Fund.
If she types her old zip code into the web page at http://www.redcross.org it will give the phone number for her local chapter.
Kevin s, February 21st, 2007 at 5:46 am:
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Irene
Very sorry to hear about the fire. One thing to keep in mind. Looking at the photos of your records, books, etc. please note that THEY CAN BE SALVAGED! My mom had a fire in her house a decde ago and she resisted throwing everything out. The soot and fire damage to many of the opbject in her house seemed permanent at the time, but in a matter of a few weeks whatever “stuck” it to things started to break down. She was able to salvage nearly all of her kitchen stuff, dishes, books, etc. Books and photo albums in particular are salvageable.
Best wishes.
Kevin
Ricky Grove, February 21st, 2007 at 10:39 am:
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I’m so sorry to read of your disaster. You must be crushed. Keep your head up. Your friends and strangers like me will help you out. I’m sad for your lost cat, Star. Burn a candle for the poor thing.
I’ve sent some money via the Paypal account. Good luck to you.
Brian, February 21st, 2007 at 1:49 pm:
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Three hundred bucks coming your way from the staff at Slop Comics!
Heather, February 21st, 2007 at 1:50 pm:
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If you’d like, I can see if I can get some crafters together to donate some auction items. It’s not much, but it’s a start
. Please email me if you are interested.
Heather
b0b, February 21st, 2007 at 4:05 pm:
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Perhaps this is a good time to remind people that renters insurance is a really good idea and hopefully Irene had it.
Irene, March 4th, 2007 at 11:53 pm:
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No renters insurance… yes note to self - get renters insurance
Chrissy, April 9th, 2007 at 3:42 pm:
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I know this is a bit late but I wanted to send my condolences for the loss of your cat. I have a 17 year old calico that has been with me since I was in middle school and I’m nearly 30 now. I know that cats can be like best friends.
My mom always says “If it can be fixed with money, then it’s not a problem.” I take that to heart and usually only worry about the health of my family and my cat.
I hope your other cat is doing well.. I’ll try to be at the fund raiser this Wednesday.
Paula, April 24th, 2007 at 10:06 pm:
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I’m sorry if this is true. I’d be careful about sending money to people you don’t know. Perhaps there is a story of this event on a reliable site? I’m so sorry about the cats. I think about mine if I ever have a fire or something like that. I have set aside a couple of pillow cases around the house, to throw the cats into if something happens and we need to get out fast. I’m lucky in that my apartment is small, and the cats have only one place to hide, easy to get too. I hope this isn’t real, but if it is, I am very sorry.
Tigger Nitties, July 7th, 2007 at 2:14 pm:
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I best it was BushCo. You know they destroyed the Trade Center, what would keep them from targeting an apartment? I am so mad right now.