Well Hail, Part 2

Louisville could now be known as the land of the Tarp People.  Tarps cover broken skylights on roofs and many cars with shattered windows are also sporting a tarp or plastic sheeting, along with ample amounts of that homeowner’s friend, duct tape. In my neighborhood, nearly every home has something bandaged.

At the same time, even as there is a lot of damage, we are also quite fortunate. All of our homes are habitable. There wasn’t flooding as happens with a hurricane, and the structures are still standing, unlike with tornadoes or wildfires. Nonetheless, insurance companies have dispatched disaster teams and erected tents in parking lots to evaluate the hundred of damaged cars. I remain grateful that our cars were safely garaged.

I’m also very appreciative of my homeowner’s insurance company and their rapid response.  I filed an online claim the night of the storm, and 36 hours later, a claims agent was inspecting my home. I think I was one of ten visits he had scheduled that day. Yesterday, a week after the storm, I received notice that the first check for repairs has been issued. Pretty darn good, in my opinion. I’m in my roofer’s queue, already having a relationship with him from the last big hailstorm in 2004 when a roof replacement was also needed.

I have good support and there is still a lot to navigate. As mentioned, I’m in line for the roof replacement, which could still take months to happen. I also have to find someone to repair or replace the broken skylight and Solatube. My solar panels will be inspected later today by the person who will do their replacement, and then I also need to line up someone to do the gutters and downspouts once the roof is replaced. I have a renewed appreciation for the work done by a general contractor. Juggling vendors and schedules, all subject to the vagaries of weather and other jobs that may or may not remain on schedule. Thank goodness I only work part time!

But wait, there’s more!  This sounds and feels like a bad infomercial. When I was up on the roof a few days ago reinforcing the covering of the broken skylight (my patch has held thus far, and I get nervous every time a thunderstorm moves through, which is every day or two this time of year), I discovered that the top of my evaporative cooler had three holes in it. So the cooler people were out yesterday, and a new lid has been ordered. The technician fished a half inch thick piece of fiberglass out of the still working cooler. It will go in their in-house “museum” of weird stuff that has happened–he’s never seen a top broken by hail before.

That’s the structural stuff for now. Then there’s the little stuff–watering cans, buckets and dust pans to be replaced. The garden is beginning to recover. It appears that the sugar snap peas will have a short season and I’m still not sure on the recovery of the squashes and cucumbers. The trees are okay, although they lost a lot of leaves and small branches. Its an odd thing to be raking leaves in June. All of our compostable/yard waste bins are full. Its a good thing that they are on this week’s pickup schedule.

Overall, we are recovering fairly well, and I’m coming to understand that repairing the damage is going to take a while. I guess that’s what happens when large balls of ice come hurtling out of the sky.

Downed leaves and apples after the storm

Raking leaves in June

And the daylilies bloom on!

Linked to Ragtag Daily Prompt.  Come visit and follow the Ragtag Community blog and enjoy the prompts and responses.