- Jodi Schrader, the Executive Director of Saved by Zade, tells me water has leaked to the first floor.
- An EF-0 Tornado was confirmed from Sunday, March 30th.
- Video shows what the damage at Saved by Zade looks like now.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
“Obviously, we’ve never been in anything like this before,” Executive Director Jodi Schrader said.
Last week, I went to Saved by Zade, a nonprofit that rescues cats in my neighborhood of Leslie.
“Our roof came off, all the protection of the building came off,” Schrader told me, showing the damage from a now-confirmed EF-0 tornado.
I also spoke with her contractor, who knows the seriousness of weather damage.
“We’ve seen devastation, six feet of water in basements, roofs torn off. Obviously, weather can cause bad damage to homes,” the contractor said.
At first — and as you can see — water was leaking in their building as the roof was ripped off. But now, Schrader said, the issue has gotten even worse and looks like this:
“Several of our ceilings are coming down from the water damage, even though a lot of the water is getting redirected,” she said.
She told me that water had now made its way down to the first floor, leaving volunteers moving animals and pausing medical operations until further notice.
“We’ve had contractors coming in telling us what is safe and what is not,” Schrader said.
Since the tornado, Schrader said she has been reaching out to disaster relief services and having contractors in and out all day long — all while still taking care of the animals.
“I usually am just trying to do what I can right now,” she said.
What she originally thought could have been up to $50,000 just for roof work has gone up from there.
“It’s 20% plus a $2,500 deductible. Just a rough estimate we were given is somewhere between 80 to 100 thousand dollars,” Schrader said.
So what’s next? Schrader said they have to fix the building, but it isn’t just the roof that needs to be replaced.
“Even with mechanicals, we’re going to have to get that upgraded now,” she said.
Fortunately, Schrader told me no one was injured. She also said that the entire cost will not be covered by insurance.
Here are all the ways you can help:
https://tinyurl.com/SbZOnlineDonation
Direct PayPal: www.paypal.me/SbyZ
Venmo: @sbzcats
Mail: Saved by Zade, PO Box 448, Leslie, MI 49251
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
