By Dionne Meehan
A FAMILY whose home was left uninhabitable after being struck by lightning have said they are “overwhelmed” by the support they are receiving.
The Nesbitt family from Newtowncunningham were one of three houses damaged when a bolt of lightning struck last Monday as a result of Storm Isha.
Recalling the devastating events, Debbie Nesbitt spoke of hearing an “enormous bang” while she was cooking in her kitchen.
As the whole house shook, she began hearing debris fall from the roof.
With the house igniting immediately after being struck, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service were first to respond to the scene.
However, on arrival firefighters struggled to find a fire hydrant close to the family home.
In a frustrated state as she watched flames rip through her family home of 16 years, Debbie questioned why no one was tackling the blaze.
Finally locating a fire hydrant after losing precious time, whatever the family didn’t lose in the fire, they lost to water damage.
Now living with Debbie’s mother in Newtowncunningham, the local community have begun rallying around the family of five.
With a GoFundMe page surpassing a target of €30,000 just five days after being set up, Debbie said she can now see “hope” following the tragedy.
“I can’t even tell you how grateful I am when I see the things that has been organised and the amount of people getting involved,” Debbie said.
But the generosity doesn’t end there.
Last week, Debbie was contacted by a 91-year-old man, a friend of her late fathers, who offered her family temporary accommodation until they got “back on their feet”.
“I think when I heard that I got a bit of hope,” Debbie said emotionally.
Meanwhile, last week’s public meeting saw over 150 locals gather to support the affected families.
Describing the big turnout as “great community spirit”, campaign organiser, Cllr Paul Canning spoke of how everyone is “keen” to help out.
With a newly formed committee now elected, it is thought that by the weekend they will have a much better idea of the different events that will be organised locally in a bid to raise funds.
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