They say there’s a first for everything.
Seeing a house flipped on its side was definitely a first for many, but for the Cliftons it was more than just seeing it.
When they came back to their flipped-over house after fleeing Hurricane Michael, they had to figure out how to get it back right side up so they could collect their belongings.
Thanks to the help of a dozen or so Jeep owners, their prayers were answered.
Fleeing the storm
The Cliftons knew that they had to get out of town before Hurricane Michael hit their town of Panama City, FL. Without much time to spare, and leaving a lot of their possessions behind, the couple left for Mississippi to wait out the storm.
Coming back to see that their home had been flipped on its head, the couple was puzzled about how to fix this situation.
How in the world were they going to flip their home back over?
After researching companies and a bit of number crunching, Dereck found the price of getting their home flipped back over and removed from their property to be around $12,000.
Jeep Club rallying to help
When Dereck mentioned his situation to a friend, who happened to be a member of the Bay Area Jeep Association, or BAJA, he took the information to his club members and they knew exactly what they had to do.
Known for helping the community, the BAJA club members didn’t hesitate to coordinate a plan to flip the Cliftons home back upright.
“We believe Jeep life is that you help each other, you have a value system,” said BAJA club president Johnathan Jones.
Grateful for the BAJA
With the combined efforts of about a dozen jeeps, the flip process only took around eight minutes. The Cliftons were excited to be able to retrieve some of their belongings, though quite a bit was lost or damaged.
For the time being, the Cliftons are staying in motels and looking to rebuild, possibly in another state.
The BAJA club didn’t ask the Cliftons for any money for the work done, saving the Cliftons close to $10,000.
“I will always be grateful for the BAJA. They hold a place in my heart now,” Dereck said.
Another takeaway for Dereck from this experience?
He now wants a Jeep.
If you’d also like to look at getting a rugged and very capable Jeep, contact us at Bryant Motors today. We can help you find the Jeep of your dreams (flipped house not included).
