A bomb cyclone that struck Washington state left many residents, like Fernando Paredes, with extensive tree damage and costly cleanups. Paredes' insurance refused to cover the cost, forcing him to finance the removal himself. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest loans to help residents and businesses recover from the storm's impact.
Fernando Paredes stands in his driveway, which was completely blocked following the bomb cyclone that hit the week before Thanksgiving. (courtesy Fernando Paredes) When trees came crashing down around Fernando Paredes' home in Mirrormont, he rushed inside to escape the devastating winds carried in by the storm. Once the storm finally passed, Paredes and his family found themselves essentially trapped with massive trunks stretched out across their steep driveway.
Fortunately, the home itself was spared. In the days that followed, Paredes hired a crew to clear away at least 15 fallen trees, only to find out his insurance company refused to cover the costs. “We have 10 trees, they are blocking our entrance, there is no way we can go through,” Paredes said, only to hear, “‘Sorry, that is not covered.’ They didn't offer any kind of help or anything, just ‘Sorry, it's not covered.’' Paredes applied for another credit card to pay the $15,700 for the tree clean up and is facing another $10,000 to have the downed timber hauled away. He is now hopeful that he will qualify for a low-interest federal loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA).“This disaster did not rise to the level of a FEMA individual assistance declaration,” said Cynthia Cowell, a spokesperson for SBA. “However, people did have losses and SBA is here to help with low-interest government loans.' Representatives of the SBA arrived this week to begin setting up a Disaster Loan Outreach Center. People who suffered storm damage will be able to show up there and have their questions answered or get help in applying for financial assistance from the federal government. The SBA is working to make loans available to businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners as well as renters in King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Snohomish, Chelan and Yakima counties. “It is done on a first come, first serve basis so it's important that people get their applications in as quickly as possible,” Cowell sai
Bomb Cyclone Storm Damage Insurance Federal Loans SBA
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