Insurance companies are busy tallying up the damage wrought by Tuesday’s storms, but some residents will have to wait weeks or months to get repairs done, local contractors say.

Friday, May 04, 2001

Insurance companies are busy tallying up the damage wrought by Tuesday’s storms, but some residents will have to wait weeks or months to get repairs done, local contractors say.

Most contractors are typically booked two months ahead of time, and may have to make special arrangements to help storm victims with the most severe damage, said Bruce Hagen, owner of Hagen and Associates, a local roofing firm.

&uot;If it’s a house that’s got extreme damage, we’ll probably see if we can’t help out somehow,&uot; Hagen said.

Property with more minor damage might have to wait until contractors complete work they’ve already scheduled, however.

Complicating matters, work crews are still cleaning up after the last windstorm in the area.

&uot;The problem is we’re so darn busy right now because of the wind that blew two weeks ago,&uot; said Mark Birkholz, manager of South Central Roofing/Overhead Door Company of Albert Lea.

Birkholz, who was in Glenville Thursday looking at damaged doors and siding, said there is plenty of work to do.

&uot;Just from the short time I’ve been here, the assessment I see is devastating,&uot; he said. &uot;Where do you start?&uot;

The first wave of inspectors on the scene are insurance adjusters, who will assess the damage and sometimes even cut checks on the spot for property owners with extreme damage, said Tim Sosebee, an agent with American Family Insurance in Albert Lea.

Sosebee has also been to Glenville to inspect damages, and has called policyholders there to see if they have any claims.

Insurance representatives had a hard time getting into Glenville the day after the storm, which slowed things a little, Sosebee said.

&uot;I tried getting down there earlier (Wednesday) and they wouldn’t let us through,&uot; he said. By the afternoon, insurance agents were allowed in to begin working.

Insurance is only the first step, though. &uot;The hardest thing is not for the insurance companies to get down there, it’s for somebody to actually do the work,&uot; Sosebee said.

Hagen said he doesn’t expect to see many &uot;storm chasers,&uot; contractors who move around to pick up extra work after disasters. Often, those crews use some laborers without much experience. Because buildings in Glenville were so badly damaged, those kind of contractors can’t do repairs easily, he said.

After Freeborn County’s hail storm in 1998, storm chasers were more common because roofing crews can get by without as many skilled workers, Hagen said. There, the damage was much more widespread and more superficial, a perfect environment for storm chasers, he said.

&uot;There is a big difference between a tornado and a hail storm,&uot; Hagen said. &uot;Roofing crews will move around, but construction crews aren’t like that.&uot;

Beside tornado damage, though, Birkholz said he’s seen plenty of hail damage in Glenville, Hayward and around the area from this week’s storm. There are broken windows, damaged doors and battered roofs.

Despite the amount of damage, Birkholz said he’s been impressed by the cleanup effort. &uot;It looked like it was going really smooth,&uot; he said.

While some home and business owners may not get their property repaired right away, Hagen said help will be on the way as soon as possible.

&uot;There are guys out there that are going to help,&uot; he said.