GoFundMe Raises Over $44K for Millburn Family Devastated by Ida

MILLBURN, NJ — After the Hossain-Miu family’s home was devastated by Hurricane Ida, the Millburn community stepped in and helped a family in dire need of financial assistance. In just one day of a GoFundMe being posted, the community raised nearly $31,000.

On Sept. 7, Jason Miu created a GoFundMe page for his sister Kim whose husband Saeed and two kids — ages 5 and 3 — were severely impacted by Ida. Miu wrote that the family had to be rescued from their home by the fire department as the water in their house rose rapidly.

“Their house is uninhabitable — sewage and flood waters filled up the entire home,” Miu wrote. “Their home and everything in it has been destroyed by Ida. Thankfully they were all safe, but it will be a long road ahead to rebuild, and they will not be able to return to their home for the foreseeable future.”

Miu said the one-story home was waist-deep with water and practically all their furniture had to be thrown away. The basement was covered in dirt and sewage water, and the ceiling tiles in the basement fell off, creating a bigger mess.

Beyond the furniture and infrastructural damage, Miu said a lot of memories were lost in the flooding. He said his sister was mostly torn up about salvaging sentimental objects, such as high school yearbooks and memorabilia for her two kids.

After seeing the immense damage and knowing that insurance would not cover it, Miu started the GoFundMe page. As of today, over $43,000 has been raised for the family. Miu said at first the donations were mainly from friends and family, but when complete strangers started giving contributions to the page, he was very surprised.

“The outpouring of support has been really amazing to see,” Miu said. “I don’t know to what extent many people actually know my sister or husband, so I think it’s heartwarming seeing that despite everything that’s going on.”

FEMA announced on Sept. 10 that the Major Disaster Declaration will extend to include Essex County, and Miu said his family should be eligible to receive some of that aid. But even with the FEMA money and the funds raised from GoFundMe, Miu said it could take hundreds of thousands of dollars for the family to rebuild.

The GoFundMe has yet to reach its goal of $100K, so if people are interested in donating they can follow this link.

Miu added that he was amazed by all the people in the community who helped with removing furniture and cleaning out his sister’s house after the storm. He said it was incredible how much they were able to accomplish with the help of complete strangers.

“I saw complete strangers just sitting in this really tiny, dark basement room with sewage all over the place, moving heavy objects, getting this grime all over their clothes and arms, breathing in this nasty air, and some of these volunteers were there all day,” Miu said. “I was honestly really impressed.”

There is also another GoFundMe page to support Millburn families experiencing tremendous damage from the storm made by Jodi and Joanna Group here. A fundraiser for Basilico in Millburn is also accepting donations.

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