A soldier who was helping with Hurricane Florence relief efforts returned to his Charlotte house to find it ransacked.
Luis Ocampo, 24, spent multiple days along the coast helping people in the aftermath of Florence, which killed dozens of people and left thousands stranded.
The Army national guardsman medic was stunned when he returned home to find that the house he shares with his girlfriend, Kailey Finch, and their 1-year-old son, was burglarized.
Finch told WSOC that she was also away the night it was ransacked. “I don’t know how people can be so terrible,” she said.
“If I was (to) do that to someone, I feel like I would feel really bad afterward. I would be like, I see this family struggling and I just messed up their life even worse,” Finch added.
A number of valuable items, including a large television, a gun, and a laptop computer were stolen.
Finch said losing the items, some of them irreplaceable, hurt. She was heartbroken to be a victim while her boyfriend was helping others, too. “He does a lot for everybody. He always wants to make sure that everybody gets help,” she said.
RESCUERS HOME RANSACKED: This Charlotte National Guardsman was away helping victims of Hurricane Florence. He came home to a burglarized house!
In one day, family and friends raised nearly $15,000, thanks to donations from nearly 400 people: https://t.co/Zx1Cury0e3 pic.twitter.com/ZCwpnIdLnJ
— Kristin Leigh (@KristinWSOC9) September 23, 2018
This is awful.
A Charlotte National Guardsman returns home after 10 days working on the Carolina coast and all his valuables are gone.
Story: https://t.co/8CNY0jxaF1@WBTV_News
— Amanda Foster WBTV (@AFosterWBTV) September 21, 2018
Fundraiser
A family friend started a fundraiser on GoFundMe, which has hit $15,000 and is no longer accepting donations.
“Luis Ocampo is an NC army medic with 6 years of honorable service. Recently he was on state active duty helping with hurricane Florence relief efforts … he returned home to an empty ransacked house,” wrote Mary Elise Capron, who started the fundraiser.
“He did all he could to help those in a time of need and now he is the one in a time of need. Every penny could help himself, his girlfriend, and their baby. I have worked closely with Ocampo, in the National Guard and he is an amazing soldier and person. I am honored to know him and cannot believe something so terrible could happen to someone so dedicated to the service, his family, and school.”
After the fundraiser tripled her original goal, she thanked those who donated.
“Thank you so much to all who have donated, your generosity and willingness to help a soldier in need is simply amazing. With the support from the unit, family, and friends Luis and I are confident he can come back from this and rebuild. We are so grateful for these donations beyond belief,” she said.
“We will soon be ending donations and hope that everyone understands. We do not want to take anyone’s generosity for granted. Thank you so much again, may God bless you all.”
