An Afghanistan veteran and his family have been rendered homeless and will spend Christmas in a Travelodge after a water tank ‘exploded’ and caused catastrophic damage to their military home.
When Corporal Glen Price and his wife Anna returned from their dream vacation to the Dominican Republic on Thursday, they found their home in ruins and all of their children’s gifts destroyed by flood water.
The boiler in the attic of a home in Farnborough, Hampshire burst, releasing hundreds of gallons of water into the bedrooms, resulting in the collapse of the ceilings and the destruction of electronics, flooring, and walls.
The couple and their two children, Amelia-Rose, 3, and Leonardo, 2, are the most recent military family to have their home destroyed by faulty water fittings that leaked following last week’s Arctic blast.
Anna wept as she told MailOnline, “We have lost everything.” Our only possessions are two suitcases containing our vacation attire.
Everything has been totally wrecked. All of the Christmas gifts for our children have been ruined… It is utterly devastation. We’re heartbroken.’
The couple is currently staying at a Travelodge in Aldershot, close to Keogh Barracks, where 22 Field Hospital is located and where Cpl Price, who served in Afghanistan in 2013, is stationed.
Anna, a mother of three, described their terrifying ordeal as follows: “We had just returned from our first family vacation. It was a long-awaited vacation that we had been saving for.
“When we returned home at 9:05 a.m., my husband discovered that everything was flooded.
Five inches of water inundated the ground floor. Everything was flooded, and all clothing and furniture was ruined. There is a large crack in the living room.
All painted walls have developed bubbles. Every crevice in the roof and walls is dripping with water.
It appears as though a water tank had exploded. It appears as though something detonated directly above the children’s bedroom. I don’t know what would have happened if we weren’t on vacation; the ceiling could have collapsed on them. It is awful.’
The family spent hundreds of pounds in the weeks leading up to Christmas on food and gifts, including Paw Patrol toys, cuddly dinosaurs, and a wooden play kitchen for the children.
Mrs. Price continued, “We purchased a wooden play kitchen for them.” They have been requesting it for years, and we have been saving for years to purchase it. With rising costs, it was challenging.
They are now left with nothing. All of their gifts have been destroyed.’
The military community quickly became aware of the Price family’s suffering, with neighbors offering food, clothing, and some toys.
Lieutenant Colonel John Greener, commanding officer of the 22nd Field Hospital, backed the commencement of a fund-raising effort.
Thursday evening, Lt. Col. Greener tweeted a request for support for the community drive, which garnered almost £1,500 in a single day.
In a tweet from 22 Field Hospital’s social media account, Lt Col lobbied the likes of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and former defense minister Leo Docherty, MP for Aldershot, stating, “Please share widely and let’s dig deep for one of our warriors and their family.”
Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Mr. Docherty responded, “Thank you.” Please connect them with me; I’ll assist in any way I can.’
His administration has since contacted the Price family and offered to give basic necessities such as bedding and clothing.
Mrs. Price was “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support for her cause.
All of my neighbors are sending me messages expressing a want to assist. They are providing meals and children’s toys.
“I am quite overwhelmed and moved by the attention shown in us by others.” It is the worst thing that can happen to a person when they lose everything they own.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation possesses all military housing.
Private contractors Vivo Defence and Amey monitor repairs. While call handling is handled by another company, Pinnacle, which has a £144 million contract with the government, the government has a £144 million contract with Pinnacle.
In the past week, however, all three companies have come under criticism after complaints from military families around the country, with Mr. Wallace reprimanding them in a Tuesday meeting.
Since then, Mrs. Price has labeled all the companies as a “joke.” She asserts that she and her husband had concerns about their heater in April, when they initially moved into their home.
She stated that after numerous phone calls, the family’s concerns were ignored.
She continued, “When we came, the house was hazardous.” The ceiling lights were suspended by a single cable.
The ceiling was severely chipped. Each door was bent and posed a fire hazard. Since then, nobody has returned to fix the house. It’s a joke.’
She continued, “Many military families would appreciate being heard and listened to. So far it doesn’t appear like it’s getting anywhere.
“On Thursday, we went directly to Pinnacle. We made seven calls. Each time, we had to describe what transpired since they were unable to locate relevant material. They stated that someone can inspect the home.
We ended up spending hours in the automobile. My daughter’s temperature was 39 degrees, but we had nowhere to go.
A contract should not have been awarded to Pinnacle. They are manifestly unqualified to handle this.
Vivo responded to the damaged residence after being contacted by Pinnacle, according to a spokesperson.
The same day, we attended the property and halted the leak. Their home is unfortunately uninhabitable, so we and Pinnacle arranged for them to spend the night in a hotel, and the next day we relocated them into a temporary military residence. They will remain there while we perform the necessary extensive repairs.
It is highly improbable that this flooding issue is related to the central heating boiler, but we are doing a thorough study.
Every family we assist has a right to a high quality of care and the knowledge that their homes are maintained secure, warm, and safe. This is extremely important to us, and we are committed to resolving the recent problems encountered by some of the military families we help.’
»Afghanistan veteran, family spend Christmas in Travelodge after house water tank explodes«