Donations are pouring in for a Newtowncunningham family who lost all their possessions in a lightning strike during Storm Isha.
Keith and Debbie Nesbitt and their three children had their home destroyed in a sudden lightning storm on Monday afternoon.
Debbie and the children, Scott, Zach and Issy, aged between 9 and 15, were home playing board games when lightning struck their roof, setting it alight.
The family fled with just the clothes on their backs. They are immensely grateful that nobody was hurt. But while they stay with Debbie’s mother, they are counting the costs of the damage.
The Nesbitt Family home following Monday’s fire
The house was destroyed by fire, water and electrical damage, with two other homes also struck during the storm.
As the community rallies around those affected, Debbie’s sister Jill Williams has set up a GoFundMe to gather donations to help the Nesbitts in their time of need. Almost €4,000 has been raised within hours today.
Jill, who is based in Meath, said that it’s one way of helping to support the family.
“It was the only thing I could do from where I am. We are all feeling a bit helpless,” she said.
“It’s amazing to see how much people care.
“We have a lot of family living abroad and Debbie has a lot of friends around the world who want to donate.”
Debbie and Keith had been building their dream home for 25 years.
“It was their family home, they’ve been in it 16 years, they were just looking forward to their future,” Jill added.
“They have insurance but it won’t cover all of the work that needs to be done. It wasn’t just fire and water damage, a lot of structural damage was caused as well. The electricals were blown out of the walls. They have to redo the whole house down to the bare blocks.”
View the GoFundMe appeal here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mjmeu-help-the-nesbitt-family
Jill adds that her family will be supporting any fundraising campaign that is set up in the community in the coming weeks.
Tonight, residents in Newtowncunningham are invited to attend a community meeting with the aim of setting up a campaign to help all families affected by the fires.
Cllr Paul Canning is coordinating the response and anyone who wants to help can attend the meeting today, Friday, January 26th at 7:30 pm in Trinity Court.
“Everyone is welcome, we need as many volunteers and ideas as possible to help the three families that have been seriously impacted,” Cllr Canning said.
