Branford Family Homeless After Tornado Levels House

BRANFORD, CT — Rebecca Moriarty and her daughter Christy were in their living room that late Thursday afternoon in August when the unfathomable happened.

With storm clouds gathered, winds roaring and rain pelting the window, she watched for her 18-year-old son Keegan, who would be driving up shortly.

She noticed the sky looked different.

Then, a weather alert chimed on her phone. Rebecca had a less than a minute to react and protect herself and her wheelchair-bound daughter, knowing too that her son was coming up Mill Plain Road.

Becky said she pulled Christy away from the living room into a hallway and covered herself and her child with a twin-size mattress.

Seconds later, there was a quick, thunderous crash at the very spot she and her daughter had just fled. A hulking, 75-foot oak tree ripped though the roof of the house and tore through the ceiling, bringing with it tangled and spiky limbs and the beams above. It was a terrifying tableau.

They were unharmed — a “blessing,” Becky told Patch.

Keegan’s car was struck by a huge limb thrown from a tree, but he too was unharmed.

The house, though, was destroyed. But more than just a house has to be replaced, as it was outfitted to accommodate 13-year-old Christy's accessibility needs. The Branford High School freshman has spina bifida, a condition that affects the spine.

Now, the family of five — Becky, Christy, Keegan, son Peyton and dad Kevin — have to put their lives back together after the violent storm plunged the town into darkness, leaving a gash of destruction in its wake. Keegan graduated from Branford High School iin June and is now in college studying remotely; Peyton is 16 and a junior at Branford High School.

“We’re all OK. Safe and healthy. That’s the most important part,” Becky said. But she admitted that the complete destruction of their home — occurring during the coronavirus pandemic — is “a lot to take.”

Becky is a helper

Becky is a social worker and manager of transitional programs at the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut. Usually the one to help others, she and her family are now in need.

Staying temporarily with her father at his Short Beach home is a blessing; but, for Christy, it's difficult to navigate.

Becky said her dad’s place, as welcoming as it is, "has stairs all over, and we have to carry her up and down stairs.” The house they called home had all the accessibility accommodations: a handicapped bathroom with roll-in shower and sink set lower for her to use from her chair.

“All those things that made it better for her, we’ve lost those accommodations," Becky said.

Finding a place to rent with the accessibility features is next to impossible, Becky said. Their insurance company is working with the zoning offices in Branford and North Branford to get permission for the family to put a handicap-accessible mobile home with a ramp on their property as they wait to see if the house will be rebuilt. They should know if that’s been OK’d within the next week or so.

Community rallies around the Moriarty family as they try to rebuild

The family has been traumatized. The Red Cross provided crisis counseling for the family; Becky said for the first 48 hours she could not sleep or think straight. She was told by a counselor that the “trauma is transient.”

“We’re all dealing with it in our own ways,” she said. “We’re still in that crazy first week. It’s a lot. It’s been a tough year for everybody, for all of us, but add this to top it off: the instability, the shock. My son said, ‘Mom, we’re homeless.’ We are. We don’t know how much the insurance will cover. And making the house accessible? That’s a big lift. There are things (Christy) needs to live her best life. It’s going to be a long road.”

A friend and co-worker, Melanie Deal, asked if she could start a GoFundMe page for the family.

Becky knows about helping and giving. She knows those who give and help want to do it.

“It’s OK for us to say we’re really down,” she said. “When you’re down, it’s OK to ask for help. It’s a lesson for our children. The people surrounding us with help and support want to do that. And we’ll get our chance to be there if they need us.”

Members of the Vox Church wanted to help; they showed up to help clean up debris.

GoFundMe has raised $10,000 in three days

“I think it's beautiful and amazing,” Becky said. “I know people want to help. I understand that so well. I am a helper in my nature. We are surrounded by a wonderful community, town, school, our friends, the kids’ friends. We’re blessed.”

Deal wrote about the Moriarty family on the GoFundMe appeal:

On Thursday August 27th Becky and her family's home was hit full on by a 75 ft oak tree that was uprooted in Branford CT. This was during the tornado that touched down. The damage is severe and their house is unlivable at this time. They also lost all of their personal belongings. The house was fully modified and fully accessible for Becky's daughter Christy who has Spina Bifida. These modifications were very expensive and they are very necessary for Christy and the family. The three kids were all getting ready to get back to school, and try to get back to some sort of "normal" due to Covid and now the family has to adjust to this change. Anyone that knows Becky knows that she is the definition of selfless in all aspects of her life. She is always willing to help at work, at church, and in her community. We all know if given the opportunity she would jump right in to help anyone in this situation. She and her family are very resilient and as she emailed her work family today her resiliency showed through. She wrote: "As we go through the next day’s, weeks and months we will work to through the barriers to rebuild. We Will Rise Up!" And that is in true Becky spirit. Please consider donating, as any amount will help, as she is starting fresh with a family of 5."

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