Heed the warning! My soundsystem and records are a pile of ashes
Hi Audiogon family,
Wanted to reach out with a message of warning to please endorse your soundsystem on your insurance policy if you have not already. I have just lost my home and all belongings in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, CA, and I will likely not be able to recover it in full because I did not specifically insure it.
This also goes for records! I'm learning that I will probably be sub-limited on my $80k record collection that I have been assembling since childhood.
I know that stuff is stuff. I literally had to evacuate within minutes because of my house's proximity to the fire's origin. How I wish I had grabbed some of the priceless, unbuyable records that I searched high and low for throughout my life. But I'm alive, my family is alive, and that's what matters most.
I've worked so hard to provide for my family all these years - we are not a trust fund situation. Records/hifi - MUSIC - was, is and will continue to be my most beloved hobby. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, and hope some of you may heed my advice to avoid losing your priceless collections.
I have a gofundme setup if anyone is feeling generous, but would appreciate any thoughts and prayers as well. I've found encouragement from my community has been a major saving grace for us during this time. Also, if anyone has experience starting again from the ground up, I'd love to hear your inspirational stories.
OP, my deepest sympathies and glad you and family are safe. Rebuilding is a hard process but it also gives you an opportunity to build something better. I know things with sentimental importance are irreplaceable but there is nothing above your personal and family well being. Look into CLZ Music software, it’s a great software to catalog your music collection. And its accessibility has been a huge help in avoiding dupe purchases when I am out and about shopping for elusive records or CD’s. |
Thank you all so much for the encouragement and sympathy. I needed a place to cry about my hifi and records when everyone around me has lost so much, and this felt like a good place for it haha @nonoise Very helpful to have all those programs listed on one page with explanations. I'm getting so much piecemeal information, having everything in one place, with the limits of the help, is honestly very helpful. @amitynick This is so good to hear. It's exactly the fight I'm preparing for. I think I'll be able to easily hit my personal property limit, so at least there's that. @jsal3689 Same here, Louisiana native. Have always been blessed going through hurricanes Andrew, Isadore, Katrina... this is the first time a natural disaster has put me out. What I saw as I left my house was truly a fire hurricane... unbelievable. @fbgbill One good thing is that my entire collection is meticulously catalogued on Discogs. I don't have receipts/photos of everything, but I do for a lot of it. Hoping it helps... |
I feel for you in ways you cannot appreciate because you don't realize how much my situation parallels yours. My fire that robbed me of everything near and dear except my wife and my life occurred last april and it continues to be a long haul getting back to normal. Its a heartbreak that doesn't go away. I pray your experience with your insurance is better than ours has been. Hug your wife and kids and never forget to show them how much you love them...I feel your pain in a very profound way. Stay in touch. |
