Leeroy Staggers From Flood Disaster
The devastation brought on by unnatural natural disasters on Canada’s east and west coasts has affected many.
By External Source
The devastation brought on by unnatural natural disasters on Canada’s east and west coasts has affected many. What follows is how the western floods affected singer-songwriter Leeroy Stagger and his family, taken from a GoFundMe drive set up by friends to help the family of four rise from the despair of having their home contents and home studio damaged or ruined.
As of Sunday a.m., just over half of the $60K sought had been pledged by 342 donors.
In 2020, our friend Leeroy Stagger, his wife (Coby) & two young boys packed up their lives, sold their home & Recording Studio in Lethbridge Alberta and moved back to the West Coast. They bought a home and immediately got to work on making it their own, converting the bottom floor into a fantastic music studio and creative space.
Custom murals by Coby adorned the walls, endless hours of hard work and creativity went into creating a special space filled with myriads of instruments, years of collected memorabilia and the best in vintage and modern recording studio equipment. I’ve been extremely fortunate to witness its transformation and let me tell you, friends, it was pure magic.
Just as they were settling in and catching their stride, on November 15th, 2021, mother nature intervened with a flood of mass proportions. Within hours it swallowed their entire back yard and poured into their basement studio space with no sign of stopping. When I arrived shortly after 7 am the water was just past my ankles throughout the whole bottom floor of the house, items bobbing everywhere, it was surreal. Within a few hours it was at our thighs pouring in through every available crack and crevice and still rising, for hours we waded in the water rescuing vintage guitars, drums, electronics, computers, submerged hard drives with irreplaceable projects on them, years of collected music memorabilia, whatever we could grab, passing it to Leeroy's wife and boys standing on the stairs. Parents, kids, aunts, uncles, we did what we could for as long as we could.
Losing this creative space has decimated their livelihood, and let me tell you, friends, it was heartbreaking. Throughout it all, Leeroy and his family have stayed very positive but the reality remains that almost their entire source of income is gone. They have excellent insurance and will rebuild; the process will take approximately eight or more months they are told but the bills will keep on coming. Donations will be used to pay for food, clothing, utilities, and mortgage payments for the next 8-12 months.
